Unfinished Business
by Marie Kenobi
Summary: It’s been just two & a half months since Ryo Sanada’s untimely death, & as the other Ronins are trying to return to normal lives, they are interrupted by two unearthly beings who are not yet ready to be forgotten and set aside
1. Not Just Random Energy

Summary – It's been just two and a half months since Ryo Sanada's untimely death, and as the other Ronins are trying to return to normal lives, they are interrupted by two unearthly beings who are not yet ready to be forgotten and set aside.

Disclaimer I do not own Ronin Warriors and their related universe. I am simply borrowing them from Sunrise Inc. to fulfill my desire to write. Chances are, any names that you _don't_ recognize belong to me.

* * *

**Unfinished Business**

Forward

This sequel to "Ryo, Bud, Where'd Ya Go?" was originally started in the summer of 2001. While I faithfully posted for a short time after that, my interest in the series soon fell to a minimum and I ceased working on it.

Until recently.

Upon the completion of another chapter story, my interest to finish "Unfinished Business" came back with a vengeance. Finally, after _three years _I decided to give it another shot. Before I could feel comfortable posting the remaining story, however, I felt I _had_ to go back and revise the first four chapters. My writing style has matured and advanced so much during my three-year hiatus that I wouldn't be satisfied otherwise. Thus, the birth of a new and improved (and hopefully better!) "Unfinished Business."

Before you start reading, however, there are a few things I'd like to explain. Since the arrival of Ronin Warriors on DVD, I've become much more fond of the Troopers and their personalities, but seeing as I originally started this story with the Ronins, I'm going to stick with them. For the most part I will use the personalities and names of everything Ronin, but I will attempt to portray more of the camaraderie shown by the Troopers. Hopefully I'll be able to combine the best of both worlds. Because I'm trying to keep this a Ronin story, all Japanese has been removed save for a few names, even though I've taken a year of the 'language of Anime'.

Now that I have all of that out of the way, I won't hold you any longer. Read and enjoy, and please! Let me know what you think!

--Marie Kenobi

* * *

**Unfinished Business**

Chapter 1: Not Just Random Energy

By: Marie Kenobi

They say the one thing that remains constant is change, and with this change, naturally, you have time. So in the time after Ryo Sanada's death, the other Ronins found it hard to avert the inevitable changes that came to affect themselves.

Rowen Hashiba, the teasingly dubbed Einstein of the group, had perhaps been hit the hardest, his friendship being the first that Ryo had accepted. His grades dropped to a dramatic effect within the first few weeks, yet his teachers at school chose not to be overly critical. They had known he was close to the dark-haired teen. Rowen, however, had gathered an unhealthy mentality about him. Why should he care about his grades? Why should he care about _any_thing? The gods seemed to enjoy making his life a living hell. After all, hadn't they already split his family apart, chosen to hand him a destiny he was not particularly fond of, and then taken away one of the most important people in his life? How could one fight against such odds? Rowen felt insignificant and small now. He didn't matter and neither did anything else.

Cye Mouri, pacifist and peacemaker, had retreated into a shell. The friendly boy with the occasional British accent was gone now, replaced instead with a cross 16-year-old. It could be said, perhaps, the he was now the _average_ teenager, but it was a strange sight to all of those who had known him before his brother-in-arms' death. His heart had hardened when Ryo had been ripped from their world, so much so that trust was something he feared he had lost. He could no longer sweep past a crowd of people and instantly draw friends to himself. Not that he felt he wanted to. The art of cooking could no longer captivate him for hours either, which didn't really matter anymore as he lived at home again and could rely on his sister to do the job most of the time. But the auburn-haired teen was distressed. It was impossible for him to do the things he loved nowadays—Impossible to accomplish what he had so easily done at one time.

Kento Rei Faun, human garbage disposable and loveable teddy bear, lost the build that defined him at school and wherever he went. His bulk, though mainly muscle, began to disappear at an eerily rapid pace. He lost nearly 12 pounds in the first week after his comrade's death. For a time, while the four remaining warriors still lived together, Cye became so terse and fretful at one point that he _yelled_ at him when he refused to eat. It wasn't that he _wanted _to worry his friends...but food no longer seemed so vital to his everyday life. As far as Kento was concerned, he would die sooner or later, whether he ate or not. And who was to say his demise wouldn't come after he had eaten a buffet of a meal or a single, solitary noodle. Who was to say he wouldn't die the very next day?

Sage Date: liberal flirt and proud, noble warrior. Perhaps he had changed the most, with his appearance dropping from its 16 year reign as his top priority to somewhere down the list where things were hidden by lack of care. He was doomed to inevitably die someday, so why should he take such care to ensure he looked proper and trim? As far as Sage had seen, no one died looking pretty and peaceful anyway. And the gods only knew how much death he had witnessed in the short span of time he had walked this earth. The teen had rather surprised his parents when he returned home with a mop of golden hair that was much longer and grittier looking than they could ever remember it before. His enthusiasm and duty towards learning the art of kendo was failing as well, and it created a situation that did not sit particularly well with his father and grandfather. It was all his mother could do to entice him out of his room, but whenever he did acquiesce to her wishes, he soon found himself caught in another feud between himself and the two head males in his family. Thus, giving him the excuse for another trip to the seclusion he could find in his small haven.

Then there were Mia Koji and Yuli Yamano. The latter had been hit hard by the death of his idol. He had returned to his home in the city with his parents and hadn't actually visited the Ronins in person since the news had been delivered. There were the occasional run-ins on the street or sporadic phone calls of course, but nothing more. The young boy seemed to prefer keeping a safe distance from the remaining four whom he had greatly looked up to during the war. Even White Blaze had not had the privilege of seeing him in nearly two months time. The tiger dwelled with Rowen now, whom was currently the only two-legged occupant of the Ronin Manor.

Mia had temporarily relinquished her home in Japan to go abroad, with no clues as to when she may return to the house. Her vast bank account, a gift from her deceased grandfather, was left open for the needs of whoever decided to stay in her home. Rowen always knew just how much to take out that would keep the bills paid and sustain a house of its magnitude with the basic necessities for living. Mia had been in America on a trip for the university when news of Ryo's death reached her. Knowing that she would never make the funeral (and that perhaps it was best if she didn't), she had flown straight to France upon completing her business in the States. A letter announcing her intentions to stay with her parents awhile and her reunion with an old boyfriend was the last they had heard from her. To say it lightly, that had been two weeks after the teen's death in late August. It was now mid-November.

"What was the point to fight so hard and still lose?" Ryo had said once. And yes, the four survivors of the war with the armor wondered: what _was_ the point?

* * *

Rowen woke slowly, feeling as grouchy and groggy as he always did at this time of morning. At least until he noticed what time it was. Then he just became grumpier. With a mumbled curse the teen rolled back over in bed and stared at the ceiling. "What ever happened to you being my alarm clock, eh Blaze?"

The large, black and white Siberian tiger looked up at the boy who he had decided to make his new charge and, through his unmerciful gaze, Rowen saw that he didn't really care. Then again, neither did he. So what if he missed another day of school? What was the sense of getting an education when sooner or later you were bound to die? _And why does the glass always seem like it's half-empty these days? Why doesn't it seem–_

_Like it's half-full?_

The still sleepy boy looked up into the eyes of his best friend and growled. "What is it with the two of us finishing each others' sentences lately?"

"I guess we've just grown closer since, well, you know...." He hesitated to finish his sentence, but Rowen already knew the rest of it.

..._Since we lost Ryo to such an unexpected death. _"Yeah, I know," Rowen told him, letting the olderboy know that he need not finish the thought. "Hey, school is already in session. Shouldn't you be there and not _here,_ this far out of town?"

"Shouldn't you?" The blonde sat on his friend's bed and smiled in the way that only Sage Date could.

"Hah," Rowen grumbled sarcastically.

Sage's smile disappeared. "But being serious, Ro, I could _feel_ this was going to happen. And I—" he turned away suddenly, his flushed cheeks indicating he was embarrassed over what he had to say.

"Sage?" Rowen asked worriedly. "What's wrong? You can tell me. You can tell me anything, remember? Right? Sage?"

The sound of his tone was desperate, signaling a fear that lay deep inside each of the boys. Since their leader's death and their journeys back to their families, the Ronins had found it crucial that they strengthen the bonds shared amongst themselves, even if there was the underlying fear that by doing so they left their hearts open to more heartache should another teammate die.

Sage was fighting within himself, trying frantically to decide if he should tell the teen before him, whom had been his best friend through the thick and thin for nigh on four years, about the dream that had pervadedhis sleep the night before. "Rowen, I—Well, you see—" he sighed. He hadn't expected it to be this hard. "I had a dream last night." There was a brief pause. "Ryo came to me in it."

Rowen's wrinkled brow showed that he did not quite understand the significance of that statement. "But Ryo has come to us a lot in our dreams," he said finally.

The blonde smiled half-heartedly. How could he explain it? "This was _different_ though, Rowen."

"How do you know?"

"I just do," he murmured, letting his voice trail off. "He spoke to me, or at least tried to. I could see his lips moving, only I couldn't hear him. He was silhouetted by a bright light, which I presume stood for my element. In the background, adding light to everything, was a large wildfire. It appeared to be growing larger, as though it was trying to consume him. He didn't seem to want to go with it though, which I thought rather odd for Ryo. There were no signs of wounds or blood on him like there had been in the other dreams...the_ nightmares. _He looked me straight in the eye with the determination and stubbornness that only he had, then back at the wildfire behind him. When he looked at me again, he tried to speak. I thought I knew what he was saying, but...I'm not so sure now. I felt like I should come back here."

Rowen sat up, regarding his friend as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. He looked down at White Blaze by their feet and spoke almost too quietly for the other to hear him. "Ryo came to me last night too. I could feel my element there, the wind, and I remember seeing the same wildfire you just spoke of. Sage," Rowen quickly caught his friend's eye, "he was trying to tell me something, too..."

* * *

Cye awoke with a silent cry upon his lips. It wasn't that the water in his dream was weird, just that, well, the fire _was—_ and the mixed signals coming from the vision weren't helping. Jumping from his bed, the teen yanked on a clean shirt and quite nearly danced into a pair of jeans. By the time he skidded into the kitchen with his blue, fishy socks, his mother and sister were just appearing from their respective rooms. His mother took one look at the misplaced books upon the table and the hasty manner in which he stuffed clothes into his knapsack and sighed. Cye looked up at his mother, feeling guilt pull at his heartstrings, but knowing this was something he had to do. "Mum, do me a favor and tell the school I won't be coming in today. I have to go away for a while. I have to meet up with the others."

Mrs. Mouri sighed in distress. Her baby was going away again, and although she didn't like it, she trusted his judgement. _He's probably missing Ryo again, so he should be with his friends for a while. If only the world did not have to be so cruel to the young. _

"Be careful, Dear, I hope everything turns out OK."

"Thanks Mum," he whispered, kissing her pale forehead and hugging his sister goodbye.

* * *

The sun was still trying to peak through the cloudy atmosphere when Kento snuck outside to the gardens to where his grandfather, wise with age and one of the few others besides the Ronins who knew of the armor, was kneeling under a cheery tree. Kento knelt before him and waited restlessly for his presence to be acknowledged.

"You are impatient about something, Grandson," his elder said finally. "The armor calls you, yes?"

"Yes Grandfather." Kento squirmed, chewing on his tongue lightly as he felt one of his toes begin to itch and wishing he could get to it.

"I hope it doesn't call you to fight again, Grandson."

"Yes, Grandfather, I mean no! I mean—" Kento stopped speaking when the older man looked up at him, although his mouth continued to hang open in the shape of his next word. His grandfather chuckled before turning serious again.

"Perhaps the armor is calling you and your three fellow warriors together. You miss the one with the red armor? Sanada?"

Kento felt his eyes burn; this was not the time nor the place to bring up that day from Hell. "Yes Grandfather, we all miss him greatly." He wiggled again.

A glint of mischief rose in the elder's eyes. "Go to your friends then. I will deal with your parents."

The energetic teen sprang to his feet and bowed, his quick moves spurred by the desire to be swiftly away. He thanked his grandfather fervently, reached for his book bag, and remembered to scratch his pestering toe before peeling out of the garden, nearly tripping in his haste to be off.

* * *

Sage and Rowen had been sitting at the kitchen table for just a short period of time when the screen door was forcibly swung open and two figures walked in, their features masked by the sun's rays behind them. The original two occupants of the room leapt from their seats and stood with apprehension. They established slight defensive stances, not knowing who had arrived and feeling slightly on edge from the confusion of their dreams. The sound of Rowen's chair smashing to the ground startled White Blaze from his catnap. Irked that something besides his own matter of choice had awaken him, the tiger sauntered into the kitchen, yawned at the newcomers, and promptly returned to his spot before the fire, a place he and Ryo had employed quite often on lazy days around the manor.

"Cye?"

"Kento?"

The two boys stepped forward so that Sage and Rowen could see them better. Kento leaned back stiffly to stretch his back muscles. "Were you expecting someone else?" he asked, setting his things down beside Cye's. The two had met on the train here, very much surprised to see each other.

"No, I suppose not," Rowen chuckled lightly. The four boys embraced one another quickly. When they parted, Cye squatted and whistled. White Blaze barely flicked an ear in the teen's direction.

"I've tried everything I can imagine, but still, two months later, he's just as depressed over Ryo." Rowen looked sadly at the white tiger.

Something sparked in Kento's eye, and he caught the attention of the bearers of Halo and Strata. "Speaking of Ryo, I thought you guys should know that I came for more than just a pleasure trip. I had a dream last night." His eyes broke contact and instead found the ground to suddenly be very fascinating. "Ryo was in it, as well as both of our elements; he was trying to say something to me, only I—I don't know what. That's why I came."

Cye stared wide-eyed at his friend, surprise clearly written along his features. "You too?" he asked amazed. The two listeners cast a knowing glance between them and motioned for Kento and Cye to sit down. Rowen picked up his chair as he and Sage joined them at the table. The latter clasped his hands in front of him.

"We need to have a talk." He leaned forward slightly. "It's about the dreams. Rowen and I had them, too." The two newcomers raised their eyebrows slightly. "Kento, Cye: I'm presuming Ryo looked perfectly fit and healthy in your dreams? He was back to normal?" He and Rowen had already compared their respective visions.

A nod came from each.

"And not only was Ryo present, but his element and yours?"

Another nod from the two.

"He was trying to tell you something, but you couldn't hear him, correct?"

Kento and Cye gave one final dip of their heads.

"Well," Sage mused, "from the clues that have been presented by each one of us, I've come to the conclusion that our dreams were all identical, minus the different elements. Kento, I'm afraid that I have to admit you're right...for once."

The taunt was not lost on the Chinese boy, but he was too curious at the moment to truly care. "I am? How? How am I right, Sage?" he asked confused.

"You said you came for more than just a pleasure trip. I'm afraid we all did. These dreams were presented to us so we would get together for one reason or another. Now, I know an ancient group of people once said that, dreams can be random energy and nothing more, but I think there is more to these dreams than meets the eye. What do you think Rowen?"

The other boy threw his hands out in an innocent gesture. "You're the resident psychic here, Sage, not me."

The blonde sighed and rolled his eyes. A lot of help he was...

"But what makes this one different compared to all the other dreams Ryo has been in?" Cye asked.

"You mean _nightmares,_" Kento corrected.

Rowen shuddered. This conversation was suddenly sounding _very _familiar.

"Those are the kind you classify as random energy. But this one—This one is different. It _has_ to be."

"The only problem is, we don't yet know _how_ it's different," Cye concluded. The soft beeping of someone's watch alerted him to the time. Feeling an odd desire to be who he once was, Cye stood to his feet and moved to the refrigerator. "Anyone up for lunch?"

* * *

That night, as they prepared to bed down in their old rooms, Rowen noticed that White Blaze was not with him. "That's odd," he murmured.

Sage looked up from the other side of the bed that Rowen was helping him make and cocked his head to the side. "What is?" he asked, before returning his attention to the hospital corner he was working on.

"Blaze. He's usually in my room by now."

"Maybe he's visiting Cye and Kento?"

Rowen nodded, although he couldn't take his mind off the tiger for the rest of the time spent helping Sage. When the bearer of Halo began to change into what he would sleep in, Rowen left the room, closing the door softly behind him and wandered somewhat hesitantly up and down the hall before finally stopping in front of his other two friends' room. He was surprised to hear a ruckus that he hadn't previously heard while with Sage. The wall between them was usually so _thin..._With a strange feeling of _wrongness _beginning to creep up in his mind that had nothing to do with Cye and Kento, Rowen slowly pushed the door open a crack.

"How many times have I told you, Kento? Don't feed my fish pixi stixs!"

"But they looked hungry!"

"What's all this yelling about?"

Rowen smiled as he backed out and closed the door. Sage must have heard and come through the bathroom the four of them shared. But as he headed towards the stairs, looking forward to a cold glass of milk, the _wrongness _came pummeling full-force at him and blocked all other thoughts out. It was something he'd never felt before; it was a mixture of something good and familiar, yet oddly different and unusual. The feeling reached its maximum when he stopped in front of Ryo's partially opened door. He hadn't stepped foot in there in over two months and the door was usually closed, but, Rowen realized, if White Blaze wasn't in any of their rooms, that meant he may possibly be—

There was a lump in Rowen's throat as he pushed the door completely open and immediately spotted the elusive white tiger by Ryo's old bed, producing a sound that was half-growl, half-whine and louder than he had heard in a long time. The Ronins had come to figure it out that that was White Blaze's way of purring, and usually he had only ever 'purred' that loud after he had not seen Ryo in a long time.

Rowen looked up sharply and wrapped his arms around himself, stopping in the center of the room. He absently noticed that White Blaze had closed his eyes in obvious pleasure and was tilting his head as if being scratched behind his ear.

_Dang! It's COLD in here! _The bearer of Strata thought to himself, suddenly wishing he had worn a thicker shirt. He walked over to the balcony door and checked to see if it was closed. It was, and although there were no places in the window or door through which he could feel air being blown in, the heat from the vents did not seem to be able to permeate the frigid air. An unnaturally cold wind was blowing through the room and chilling Rowen to the bone.

Wondering about the wind but more willing to forget about it for the night and go to his warm bed, Rowen chose to leave the overgrown kitten to his own choices. As he was walking towards the door, however, a picture still tucked into a corner of Ryo's mirror snagged his attention. The snapshot revealed the five Ronins in their subarmor and it brought a large lump to his throat. He was abruptly reminded of the coldness of the room when another blast of wind seemed to snake past. It was strange, he thought, that his hair didn't seem to be ruffled at all by the unusual draft. Yet the goose bumps on his arms told him there was definitely something wrong.

He was turning to leave when, through the mirror's reflection of what was behind him, Rowen noticed a soft, gentle colored, red light suddenly appear over an indentation on the bed before White Blaze. It almost appeared that...someone was sitting there...

* * *

When Rowen did not return right away, Sage went looking for the youngerboy, hoping to find him and ask if he knew where he could find a few batteries for his CD player. He hoped Rowen hadn't gone out looking for White Blaze. Heaven only knew the tiger could easily fend for himself and didn't need a teenager with blue hair and armor to baby him. The blonde startled badly when he heard a scream erupt from the open door of Ryo's room. He arrived just in time to see Rowen faint and catch him before he hit his head...

But not soon enough to feel the cold wind disappear, nor understand why the white tiger gave a sudden, heart-wrenching roar of loss.

* * *

Thanks for reading. Now please don't forget to review!

(I blame any typos you may have seen on the website's upload program. Heaven knows I've been over all the chapters with a fine-toothed comb many, MANY times! Unfortunately, I've yet to figure out how to indent paragraphs and make text smaller with this thing...)

COMPLETELY REVISED: 7/15/2004


	2. I Ain't Afraid of No Ghost

**Summary – It's been just two and a half months since Ryo Sanada's untimely death, and as the other Ronins are trying to return to normal lives, they are interrupted by two unearthly beings who are not yet ready to be forgotten and set aside.**

**Disclaimer I do not own Ronin Warriors and their related universe. I am simply borrowing them from Sunrise Inc. to fulfill my desire to write. Chances are, any names that you _don't_ recognize belong to me.

* * *

**

**Unfinished Business  
**Chapter 2: I Ain't Afraid of No Ghost  
  
By: Marie Kenobi

* * *

Rowen did not wake up that night until a little after 1:00 AM, whether because his body had taken that time to rest or it stemmed from something else, no one was sure. Sage had eventually fallen asleep in a chair next to his best friend. When Rowen finally did stir, the blonde jerked back to awareness. Barely allowing his eyes time to focus, he centered in on the boy beside him, and leaned forward. With more enthusiasm than originally intended, he whispered fiercely, "What the heck happened over there!" "Geez, Sage, keep it down! You'll wake up Cye and Kento—" 

"It's a little late for that. Are you okay, Bro?" Kento appeared through the bathroom door. Cye followed close at his heels, rubbing drunkenly at his eyes.

Rowen nodded briskly, trying to dispel both his fears and theirs. "Yeah," he drawled out slowly.

"And?" Sage and Cye chorused together.

"It's nothing."

Kento raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked, not sounding the least bit convinced. "And I'm Talpa in disguise," was the muttered follow-up to no one in particular.

The bearer of Strata wasn't sure how to respond to that. Or if he even should at all. "Uhh, " was the only semi-intelligible thing that he could find to slip past his tied-tongue. 

"Something obviously happened, Rowen. Why don't you just tell us?" Sage prodded.

He sighed, knowing he couldn't keep this from them. "I was looking for White Blaze and was heading to the kitchen for something to drink when I felt something; it was...odd to say the least. Something I've never experienced before. I can't explain what it was, but it was strongest in Ryo's room. I found that his bedroom door just happened to be open so I stepped in and, well, to make a long story short, I found White Blaze in there, behaving like he hasn't since Ryo, uh," he paused momentarily, looking down at his hands, then quickly stumbled through the rest of his explanation. "It was freezing cold in his room, almost like there was a wind blowing through, even though I checked the balcony doors and they were shut. I got goose bumps for crying out loud! When I went up to Ryo's mirror, it revealed the reflection of a red light hovering over the bed. There was even a dip in the mattress right in front of Blaze. It was just like someone was sitting there...And then, the red light _moved_ and hovered around me—"

"And?" Kento asked excitedly.

"It _touched _me. It felt like there was someone _breathing _on my neck! That's all I really remember," he finished lamely, looking to Sage to see if there was anything to add.

_You fainted you know._

_Yeah, I figured as much. I was sort of trying to keep that out of the retelling, though..._

Kento's sudden exclamation of disbelief shot through the two friends' mental conversation. "Sure Rowen. A light, _touching_ you. Whatever, Bud. I really think you bumped your head."

Rowen narrowed his eyes and looked at Kento oddly. Why didn't he believe him? Why would he make something up like this? What could he possibly hope to gain from it?

"Kento, I don't think—"

"Yeah, I know he wouldn't." The heaviest of the four boys bowed his head as he interrupted Sage. He turned to Rowen, a look of apology smeared along his tired features. "I may not like the sound of it—and I may not entirely believe you yet—but...I know you wouldn't just make up any random thing. Hey Ro, no hard feelings?"

"No hard feelings. None at all."

"Good," Kento said.

"Good," Rowen echoed. "Why don't we get some sleep? I think we could all use it." He mock-punched Kento in the shoulder, then watched as Cye and the other boy waved goodnight and headed back to their rooms.

The wheels in Rowen's head were turning at full-speed as he crawled into his warm bed. _Looks like I have some investigating to do_, he thought, as sleep finally overtook him.

* * *

It was safe to presume that when Sage awoke the next morning and dragged himself from his bed, he was a little more than simply surprised to find Rowen absent and his bed neatly made. With a frown he stumbled out of their room and down the hall, checking first Cye and Kento's room. Seeing that both were still asleep, he quietly shut the door and continued on to the bathroom and finally Mia's study. 

Sitting behind the library's computer was a messy tangle of blue hair. Sage walked up to the untidy mass and peered over its owner's shoulders to the computer screen that flashed pictures and captions of eerie shapes and blurred lights. Spirit orbs, he realized, having watched enough television to recognize them. "So Rowen, you really believe you saw a ghost last night?"

Rowen didn't bother to look at Sage, but spoke as he typed in the word 'aura' and clicked enter. "I'm sure of it, Sage. What else could it have been?"

"I don't know, I really don't; I wasn't there to see it after all."

_Ah, but I was,_ the teen's attitude seemed to say. Rowen nodded absently, not really focused on anything but the computer. He pointed to the screen. "I was thinking: This says an aura is not only present with the living, but also the deceased. Psychics can often see the auras of dead people if they're strong. That wouldn't explain why I saw what I did last night, but," Rowen paused and spun around to face his friend. "Sage, you've mentioned seeing all of our auras before. It's one of the things that identified us and brought the Ronin Warriors together. Perhaps you can still see Ryo's?" The look of hope on the younger boy was not lost on Sage.

"Ryo!" he exclaimed, "what makes you think that was him?" It seemed like such an absurd idea! Why would Ryo be haunting the manor?

"Instinct, feeling...I pledged my life to him numerous times, Sage, I think I'd be able to sense him whether I'm psychic or not. Besides! The aura, the-the _spirit orb_ was red!"

Sage looked at Rowen with an expression of complete disbelief. "You don't know that that was an aura. It could have been an illusion—"

"An illusion? Created by whom! Dais? Seriously Sage." The archer paused to look deep into his friend's one visible eye. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"Well, you've got to admit it's a bit far-fetched. I'm not saying I doubt what you think you saw—"

"But you _do_!" Rowen retaliated. He felt a soft sigh slip past his lips. "Listen, whether you believe me or not, I'm going to get to the bottom of this. And when I do..." Pushing off with his feet, he swiveled the chair to face forward again and began typing in another topic for the computer to search for.

Sage sighed and shook his head. He squeezed Rowen's shoulders before turning towards the door. "Be careful, Ro. Ghosts tend to be lingering spirits with unfinished business. And often more than not, that business isn't good. Don't forget, the guys and I are here if you need us."

Rowen gave a curt nod and grunted softly, barely able to comprehend the blonde's words as his mind worked over the information that was presented to him. He would prove it to them; they would see the truth soon enough. They weren't alone...

* * *

It was unusually quiet that morning at breakfast. Rowen, whose head remained steadfastly buried behind a pile of papers he had printed, somehow managed to wolf his food down before Kento. Without a word to the others, he leapt from his chair and ungracefully tripped over his own feet, his vision having been obscured by the stack of parchments he held so eagerly before his eyes. 

Without slowing his own frenzied pace at which he stuffed food into the gaping black hole that was his mouth, Kento lent an offering hand to Rowen, who accepted and pulled himself up. He absent-mindedly dusted off the few grains of dirt on his jeans, then darted back upstairs.

The two remaining boys whom were not eating like a half-starved animal sat quietly a moment, contemplating what had just happened. With exaggerated care, Sage slowly turned back around and calmly laid his palms on the table beside his plate. "Great meal Cye! I couldn't have asked for better! We're still going into town later to pick up some movies, right? Maybe get you a girl in the process, eh?"

With movements that were much stiffer than normal for the water-loving boy, Cye pulled his attention from the stairway Rowen had just raced up and unsuccessfully attempted to wipe the mass confusion from his face. "Uh, y-yeah Sage, s-sure." Inside his mouth, he could feel his tongue clumsily stumbling over the words as he tried to make sense of what was going on.

The blonde responded with a cheesy, very _un_like Sage grin that would have scared even its owner had a mirror been present. "Great!" he exclaimed, sounding very much like the animated Tony the Tiger, the mascot for an imported American cereal that Yuli was quite fond of.

Cye cocked his head to the side and felt as his right eye involuntarily twitched. Slowly, his forehead sank until it was just skimming the top of his oatmeal. Silence reigned over the nearly empty kitchen, save for the scraping of Sage's chair as he stood to his feet and the rude slurping of Kento as he finished his second helping, completely oblivious to the conversation that had just taken place.

* * *

White Blaze ambled out of Ryo's room and down the stairs just as Rowen suddenly roared up them, barely missing the large tiger. If he could have spoken his mind, he would have told the young human what he thought of nearly being run over. But even that small brush with disaster was not overly enough to upset his current mood. The events from the previous night had put him in a rather cheerful disposition. True, the cause for his merry attitude had not stayed long, but the promise had been made that _he_ would come again. And in fact, _he_ did, slipping back into the room when the other occupants of the house had drifted off to slumber. White Blaze didn't know when he would see _him_ again, but it was something he looked forward to with great anticipation. Only, he hoped that the next time it happened, Rowen wouldn't be there to scream at the slightest little thing and thus strip him of his joy a second time. 

Now, as he trudged into the kitchen, he felt the sudden urge to run just for the heck of it, something he hadn't done in awhile. Something he had done with Ryo the day before his capture, as a matter of fact.

One consistent barrage of 'meows' and a few whacks from his tail later, Kento, whom was stretched out on the floor with feet in the air as he watched Saturday morning anime, finally decided that _watching _the TV wasn't worth it if he couldn't _hear_ it for one loud, overly obnoxious, and overgrown house cat. The gluttonous youth scrambled quickly to his feet and, with a grunt, practically pushed the mystical tiger out the kitchen door before hurrying back to his entertainment.

The tiger's lips curled up in the form of a half-smile. It was mission accomplished as he tore across the dull winter grass in Mia's backyard at a dead run, flying up and down the hills and occasionally prancing carefree through the thin ice that had accumulated along the edges of the pond's blistering cold water.

It was nearly an hour later when he finally plopped onto the ground, his massive chest rising and falling as his lungs took in the cool, much needed air. White Blaze glanced up towards the sky, noticing the ominous clouds that hung there, threatening to spill over with sleet or snow at any time. He let a deep breath out slowly and closed his eyes. The desire to be back in his own home was battling with his loyalty to the four boys inside the house just ahead. But the war was over: Talpa had been destroyed and the Ancient defeated in battle against his greatest foe. Not to mention, his youngest charge, the bearer of Wildfire, had also passed from this world, and with him had gone the need for constant surveillance and protection.

Hadn't it?

True, Ryo probably wouldn't want him to leave the remaining Ronins, but White Blaze, for the most part, could find nothing but sorrow and lingering memories in this place.

The arrival of a strange, new smell presenting itself to his advanced senses drove the tiger to his feet in one quick movement. He shook himself, before allowing the wind to rake his fur forward. Roving eyes surveyed the house and its surroundings. Nothing _looked _out of place...

Ah, but wait, what was that there? Cocking his head to the side, White Blaze allowed his ears and nose to do the looking. This method quickly allowed him to pinpoint the general direction of the scent, and with the stench came also the murmurs of a strange, previously undetected sound. Something, although he wasn't quite sure what, had the distinct smell of rotting flesh, and instead of the wind whispering gently through the trees, he heard a voice, dark and malevolent like, as it wound its way among the branches.

As quickly as it came, the voice disappeared and White Blaze shuddered slightly in an attempt to rid himself of its lingering affects. Whatever it had been, it was gone, but the smell of rotting flesh continued to assault his strong senses. Wanting to get away, he ran quickly to the manor's door and clawed at it until a very perturbed Kento decided to admit him again.

"Dumb cat," the teen muttered none too softly before retreating back to the living room. He plopped down roughly in a beanbag chair set before his game console. Within minutes he had returned to his world of starfighters and skilled users of both the Dark and Light side of the Force.

Outside, shrouded in a cloak of dark green light, an amorphous shape drifted towards the house and through the open bedroom window of one certain Torrent, and one specific Hardrock.

* * *

Cye shivered, momentarily hugging himself before thinking to check the latch on the double windows that brought light into his and Kento's room. Just as he made it to the glass, however, an unexpected gust of wind pummeled the clear portals from the outside and blew the windows open completely, scattering the papers upon his desk in the process. "Talpa spit," was his muttered curse as he bent to clean the mess up. 

It didn't take him long to gather all the papers, but no sooner had he laid them down and turned his back than another unexpected blast of wind blew in and once again scattered the loose leafs around the room. "Oh, for Pete's sake! What in bloody hell—"

"Cye? Are you okay in there?" Sage, who just happened to be walking past the closed door from which Cye's voice had originated behind, stopped to ask with concern.

"Yeah, just dandy. Just bloody dandy!"

The younger boy raised an eyebrow but decided not to pursue it. "All right then, if you say so. I'm going out to meditate a while; I should be back before lunch. If not, save me something would you?"

"Sure," came the agitated response.

Sage crossed his arms and leaned against the door, softly pressing his ear to the wood in the process. "I think after lunch would be a good time to head into town." He paused when he heard the sound of paper being balled up rather aggressively and a quick string of humorous 'curse' words that were unique only to Cye. Usually the blonde knew better: knew better than to push the other boy too much when he was angry. It was always best to let him steam some before he was ever approached about what had caused him to lose his cool. But there were just too many odd things happening for him to drop the matter so easily this time. "Are you positive you're all right? We don't have to go today—"

"Yes, I'm positive. _I'm bloody fine!_" The British sounding accent roared through the door, startling Sage so much that he swiftly backed away, his arms flailing out to the sides.

"Well, uh, if you say so. All right, Bud, I'll see you in a little bit." Feeling slightly apprehensive about his good health surviving should he chose to remain at the door side any longer, the bearer of Halo made a hasty retreat.

Cye waited until he was sure Sage had left before opening the door a crack. His red face showed just how flustered he was. The papers had scattered a third time while talking to Sage and he had finally lost it, balling a piece up and throwing it at the first random object he'd seen, which had been, unfortunately, his beloved fish tank. After snatching the balled up paper from a curious fish's gaze, he'd decided that he had had enough of his room and now found himself in his current situation. _Where to now?_ he wondered.

From downstairs he heard Kento's loud mouth proclaim that he was going outside to gather more firewood from the storage shed. With no obvious sign of Rowen being nearby, Cye opted for some quiet time _alone _in front of the television set downstairs. As he was passing Ryo's room, however, an odd chill overtook him, making him feel that someone had just raked cold ice cubes along his spine. _Could this be what Rowen was referring to?_ he wondered silently.

Cye stopped when his hand involuntarily grasped the doorknob to Ryo's room. Nervous laughter rang through his mind. _Maybe I'll finally see this 'ghost' Ro's been obsessing over..._

But when the door was pushed open and he stepped inside, the teen couldn't deny the rising feeling of panic that stealthily crept up from the back of his mind.

_Get a hold of yourself!_ Cye berated himself. _You've been in Ryo's room dozens of times! Besides, when have YOU ever been worried about ghosts?_

_Since THAT DAY:_ _The day he died, _a tiny voice in the back of his mind whispered sweetly.

Cye frowned as he finished walking all the way into the dark room, a small slit of sunshine being the only light that presented itself as it tried to conquer the clouds outside and slip past the curtains. Everything was just as he remembered it from the last time he had ventured into the room. When was that day? _Oh, the day after his death..._He and the other three remaining Ronins had come looking for clean clothes to dress the deceased boy in, as well as mementos of the life he had once lived. A soccer ball, some pictures. A few copies of the drawings he had been known to create from time to time.

Had it really been over two months ago? It seemed like just yesterday. But then again, the empty spot resting in the bearer of Torrent's heart made him feel as if his brethren in arms had been gone for years _decades _even.

Mustering up his nerve, Cye walked over to the bed that had belonged to the leader of the Ronin Warriors at one time and lingered around it for a moment before, with great trepidation, sitting down. It was—_bouncy_—he realized after a moment. More so than his or Kento's, but that could probably be attributed to the fact that their beds were often put into use as trampolines by Kento and Yuli. And, occasionally, he had to admit, himself. The two roommates had this thing for pillow fights...

Still feeling apprehensive, Cye gingerly laid down on the bed, letting his feet dangle over the side and rubbing his temples at the sudden onslaught of memories. There were some things he had always wondered about, especially since the fifth Ronin's death. Like, how many times had Ryo lay immobile in this very bed, tortured by injuries and pain that no person ever should have felt. How many times had he awoken in a cold sweat, images of nightmares still preying on his weary mind as he wondered whether or not the scenes revealed there would eventually come to truth? Cye's heart wrenched with the next, horrid thought. How many times had Ryo awoken trembling, fearing that he was alone in the world and that Talpa was only waiting for the right time to spring up and destroy him? The gods only knew how many times that very scenario had yanked him from his dreams. Only, for Cye, there had been Kento to talk to. Ryo always bunked alone.

Without realizing it, the Warrior of Trust had brought himself to tears.

"This is stupid," he murmured after a moment of grief. Ryo wouldn't want him crying over his lost life. He would want Cye to be happy for him for finally finding peace. _Peace? Hah! No such thing exists for those that wear and have worn the armors._ With an angry flick of his wrist, the tears were gone and the boy with auburn hair returned to a sitting position to take one final look around the room. It didn't take him long to feel the change that had gradually come along while he was reminiscing.

Whereas it had been cold in Ryo's room earlier, it was freezing now. Cye felt as though he had been plunged armorless into a freezing river. An eerie feeling not in the least bit comforting permeated his thoughts like a knife. Something wasn't right here. But as the old saying goes, curiosity killed the cat...and Cye was most definitely curious.

In the next instant, Cye found himself standing outside on the balcony. His breath came in with a rush. He had forgotten just how breathtaking the view from Ryo's balcony was, despite the fact that they were in the middle of winter. The view was calming and peaceful, two of the main reasons for why this room had been given to the leader of the Ronin Warriors.

After another quick look around, Cye decided this would be much more relaxing than anything he might hope to find on TV and, laying his elbows on the railing, leaned his back up against the wood and raised his head to the sky. Sea-green eyes slowly closed in contentment. He remained like this for a few minutes, basking in the peace and quiet, until suddenly and without any form of warning whatsoever, his feet were yanked out from under him. The teen was sent tumbling backwards over the balcony railing.

No sound escaped from his lips until his right hand managed to loosely grasp the wooden structure now overhead. Even then it was only a small gasp. With his eyes squeezed shut, he dangled briefly, and then dared to raise his eyelids and look down below. The ground suddenly seemed _very _far away, _much_ further than he ever recalled it having been before. Of course, before now there had always been something between him and the ground. Up above, an unseen force managed to pry his fingers off the railing, leaving him struggling to grab hold of a banister before he fell too far.

_What now? _he pondered when his grip grew firm again. He was too shocked to think of any logical reasons for how he had ended up in this predicament to begin with. The only sensible thing that he could bring to mind to take him safely to the ground was the one thing he had vowed to give up the day Ryo died:

His armor.

After double-checking that he would be secure with just one hand instead of two, he reached into his pocket with the other and pulled out the shining, light blue orb that he never went without, even after Talpa's defeat.

Almost immediately it was slapped out of his hand by the same unseen force that had placed him where he was to begin with.

Cye watched it fall with a look of pained realization that, once again, he was stuck in a situation he was not particularly happy with. Another thought came to him to call for help via the open balcony doors, but by some miracle, at the same time he opened his mouth, Rowen came screeching onto the platform, his kanji of 'Life' shining brightly below the blue locks.

"Cye," he began. But just as quickly as it had happened with the other boy, Rowen was hurled with great force over the protection of the balcony's railing. There was a moment of silence as he scrambled for the handrail, missed, and instead slammed into the side, latching onto Cye's dangling feet at the same time.

The latter let loose a loud, "Oof!" and grit his teeth as the extra weight pulled him down along the length of the banister he clung to so desperately. Splinters that had emerged from the wood during the many times the house had come under attack imbedded themselves into his hand. One particularly large portion of wood found its mark in the fleshy space between his thumb and index finger, making him howl as he lost his grip with that hand.

"Hey, uh, Cye?" Rowen asked hoarsely after he had finally regained the breath that had been knocked out of him. He unconsciously shifted his weight to the side that was most supported by the older boy's remaining handhold.

"Yeah?" Cye replied, casting another look at the ground below them and grunting as more weight was pinned on his one arm.

"_What the heck just happened!"_ Rowen exploded.

"I don't know! How am I supposed to know!" The bearer of Torrent felt a certain amount of desperation slip into his words. How _had _this happened? He was just as confused as the one holding on to him. "I was fine one moment and then _bang_! Here I am! And stop complaining, will you? I'm the only thing keeping you from becoming a pancake on that concrete down there!" he added, referring to the walkway below them.

The two hung there for a moment in silence, with Rowen attempting not to move, but occasionally squirming in his fight to maintain his grip on the slick fabric of Cye's wind pants. This was done much to the chagrin of the latter and caused him to grimace with an occasional grunt. _Rowen may be the second smallest person in this house when it comes to weight, but by no means does that make him an easy burden to bear!_

Abruptly, Rowen snapped to attention. Even that small movement sent them to swinging again. "I know Cye, I'll just use my armor!"

_Blasted armor...If the Ancient One wasn't already dead— _"No, Rowen!"

"What?"

"You can't use it!"

"But why?" the younger Ronin practically whined.

"Because I've already tried it and, as you can obviously see, it was nothing but a bad idea."

"Oh."

Quite unexpected (but very much welcomed), Sage came tearing out of the woods with the green kanji of 'Wisdom' shining brightly upon his forehead. Kento appeared around a corner of the house at much the same time, his kanji also making an appearance as he slid to a stop directly below them and cast an arm full of wood down. "Mind telling me what you two are doing up there!" he barked.

Sage nodded as he came to a halt beside Kento. "I second that!"

"We decided we'd _'hang out'_ for awhile," Rowen muttered sarcastically. The two warriors with blue armor cast a mutual glance between them, then turned lightly to look down at their two friends.

"_How are WE supposed to BLOODY KNOW!" _they roared together.

Sage and Kento took a small, mutual step back. If _that _wasn't a scary thing to hear...

_You've got to keep Cye away from Rowen, Kento. It won't do to have them both speaking like Brits._

_Yeah, yeah, I see that._

Distracted by their mental conversation, the two boys on the ground did not feel the wind that suddenly swept up around them. It was the _same_ wind that had already shown itself to Cye and Rowen and it now caused the older of the two to completely loose his desperate, fragile hold. Just as Cye's fingers lost their grip of the banister, however, a small red light appeared and wrapped around his hand. Something cold brushed against the lightly tanned skin, sending shivers up the spine of the boy it belonged to. Both boys' screams, accompanied by their friends' shouts of denial, cut through the quiet atmosphere.

Rowen closed his eyes, preparing for the shock of hitting cold, hard concrete; but it never came. Instead, the sound of a mighty grunt reached his ears, and when he finally dared to open his eyes, he found himself held up by two strong arms. "K-Kento?"

The bigger boy placed him on his feet and swiftly covered his face with his hands. When he had pulled his emotions back under control, he let into the Ronin of Strata with a fervor born of fear. "Geez man! You scared me half to death! Don't _do _that anymore!" he bellowed, as though it had been Rowen's choice to dangle freely from a balcony three stories up. "Are you okay?"

Rowen smiled and nodded, wavering slightly on his shaky knees. Remembering he hadn't been alone in his fall, he spun quickly in search of his companion. "Cye?" he inquired with worry.

"I'm fine, Rowen. You?"

Rowen turned to see Sage gently set their auburn haired friend on the ground.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

Cye looked back at the balcony, an involuntary shudder consuming his body for a brief moment. "When I first lost my grip of the rail, a gentle red light encircled my hand, and I felt something cold on it. Something cold but nearly tangible, like someone was trying to prevent us from falling."

"How strange." The boy with blue hair furrowed his brow. "Right before my eyes closed, I saw a _dark green_ light." He looked to Sage and Kento, wondering if they too had seen these things. But the former wasn't looking at them. Instead, his gaze rested on the balcony.

When someone finally did speak, it was Sage and he did so quietly, as though he were afraid to break the stillness that had settled around them. "Guys, I think we have ghosts."

Rowen, Kento, and Cye sent each other surprised looks. Had they heard right? Had Sage just agreed to what Rowen had feared all along?

One head amongst the three contemplative ones jerked to attention quickly. "Wait a second," Kento murmured. "You said that wrong. You meant 'we have _a _ghost.' Ghost with one 's': singular. As in, "Oh, _look_, _it's_ a _ghost._" He punctuated each word of this last sentence with a jerk of his hands. "Right...Sage?"

The boy in question only met his eyes briefly before he turned and walked back to the house.

* * *

**COMPLETELY REVISED 7/16/2004**


	3. When Good Meditations Go Bad

**Summary – It's been just two and a half months since Ryo Sanada's untimely death, and as the other Ronins are trying to return to normal lives, they are interrupted by two unearthly beings who are not yet ready to be forgotten and set aside.**

**Disclaimer I do not own Ronin Warriors and their related universe. I am simply borrowing them from Sunrise Inc. to fulfill my desire to write. Chances are, any names that you _don't_ recognize belong to me.**

* * *

**Unfinished Business**

Chapter 3: When Good Meditations Go Bad

By: Marie Kenobi

* * *

_Hey Ryo-o-o?_

_Yea-a-ah?_

_Do you have a crush on anyone?_

_I do-o-o..._

_Who is it?_

_Well it's not Mia, 'cause she's got a crush on you-u-u..._

Sage awoke with a snap. He held his head briefly before laying his forehead on drawn up knees and breathed in deeply. He was trembling and unsure if the moisture sliding down his cheek was from sweat or if he had been crying. His dream: it was from a conversation he had had with Ryo...

It was the younger boy's 16th birthday and the five friends had the house to themselves. By the time the clock struck 11:30 P.M., the birthday boy was sprawled out on a couch, tuckered out from the day's numerous activities. Rowen mentioned something about making people talk while they were asleep—

With a dare from Kento, Sage snuck over to Ryo and knelt beside the couch. "Ryo-o-o?" he began, letting his friend's name drag out.

"Yea-a-ah?" the other boy responded, drawling the word in his sleep.

"Do you have a crush on anyone?" Behind him, Kento, Cye, and Rowen practically choked as they attempted to keep their snickering to a minimum.

"I do-o-o..."

"Who is it?" Sage turned to the others briefly and winked in a conspiratory sort of manner.

"Well it's not Mia, 'cause she's got a crush on you-u-u..."

Sage's one visible eye widened in abrupt shock and he rocked back on his heels. Kento, Cye, and Rowen began to choke, loosing their ability to keep their laughter silent until—

"...Rowen and Cye on the other hand..." the black-headed boy smiled and sighed almost pleasantly as he let his sentence go unfinished. With a twitch his face twisted in distaste. "But Sage and Kento: ugh!"

"Hey!" Kento mouthed offended.

Rowen and Cye looked at each other, their cheeks having flushed a deep red. They blinked rapidly, unsure of what the statement was supposed to mean.

Suddenly, Sage pulled the pillow out from under Ryo's head and smothered the boy's face with it. The other three could hear muffled laughter seeping out from under the sack of feathers. "He was awake the entire time!" Sage squeaked.

Kento raised a quick eyebrow at this before he ran over and sat on the bearer of Wildfire, crossing his arms over his chest and scowling. Even with the added weight, however, Ryo's body shook in humorous delight and he was so overwhelmed by laughter that he never tried to escape. After another minute like this he decided air would be a nice thing to have and blindly reached up, waving his hands around like a blind man in a room with no walls, searching helplessly for Kento. He had hoped to put the other boy in a headlock, but he had to catch him first and it didn't appear that he was going to be able to do _that _anytime soon.

"Uh, uh, uh," the younger boy mused, waggling his finger although he knew their prisoner couldn't see it.

Finally, Ryo somehow managed to slither out from under his captor and proceeded to immediately jump into Sage's lap, throwing his arms around the blonde's neck and puckering his lips in the process. Exaggerated kissing noises filled the air, persuading his friend into making a rather peeved, yet comical face.

Kento burst out laughing, his mirth causing him to roll off the couch and forcing the other teen to move quickly or be smothered as the bearer of Hardrock landed with his head precisely in Sage's lap. A quick replay by the larger boy of what Ryo had done ensued in the next instant, much to the amusement of all save for one particular blonde Ronin. Feeling powered by the sugar cookie birthday cake that Cye had made him, the birthday boy leapt at Rowen, forcing the other to catch him or be knocked to the floor. As it was, he was barely caught, but this did not prevent him from making 'googly' eyes at the older warrior sitting across from them.

Rowen promptly dropped Ryo, lowering his arms just as quickly as he had raised them. With a devilish tint in his blue eyes, he gave a single, mad cry:

"_Dog pile!"_

An hour later and still feeling the effects of laughing nonstop for an insane amount of time, Ryo, Rowen, Sage, Cye, and Kento climbed out of Wildfire's window and onto the roof. Together they watched the stars, making comfortable small talk whenever the moment called for it until eventually all had fallen asleep to the sounds of a peace-filled country night...

* * *

It was tears, Sage realized, that were rolling down his cheeks. Ryo's last birthday had been a memorable one and it made him wish all the more that their blue-eyed friend was still with them. Nevertheless, he had the memories of the good times and always would. Wasn't that the point? Everyone always said it was all that mattered.

_No,_ he thought with a growl, _that wasn't the point. That's not all that matters...The point is, Ryo shouldn't be dead!_

With a heavy sigh he stood and headed to the bathroom, running a hand through his vibrant, golden hair. Oddly enough, during the short time he had been with his companions, it looked the best it had since their leader's death.

When he was refreshed from throwing water in his face, Sage glanced at the clock. It read 6:45 A.M. Taking the handrail in his grip, he slowly began to descend the stairs. Halfway to the bottom he stopped and turned in the direction of Ryo's room. A grimace filled with distaste shadowed his handsome features when he recalled the previous day's events. He made a mental note to file it away in the back of his mind where he kept a 'bad memories' folder. He would, however, reflect on it the next time he meditated. The sword-weilder never let anything go without having put it under great scrutiny first.

A smile lit the naturally pale face as another thought came to him. _The next time I meditate will be after I eat Cye's wonderful breakfast this morning. I can't wait to see what he cooks up._

Sage took the rest of the stairs eagerly and arrived in the kitchen with a spring in his step. He watched Cye stifle a yawn. "Good morning."

"G' morning, Sage. How did you sleep?"

"Better than you, I imagine." Sage grinned, knowing that Cye would realize he was referring to Kento's freight train snoring.

"No, it's not that. I'm used to _that. _I just haven't gotten used to the idea of there being ghosts around the manor, is all." He waved it off quickly, eager to change the subject. "What should breakfast consist of today? Your choice."

"You haven't made scrambled cheese eggs in awhile. Mom used to make them all the time."

"Well, cheese eggs it is! Though I doubt they'll be as good as Mrs. Date's."

Sage smiled. True, his mother's _were_ good, but...while he would never admit it to her face, the warrior of trust could easily out-do her. Or anyone for that matter.

"Want any help?"

Cye glanced up briefly; he had already started cracking eggs into a bowl. "I've got it. Why don't you go into the den and check the morning news?"

There was a mischievous glint in Sage's one visible eye that Cye did not catch with his back turned. "I have a better idea," he said sweetly. "Perhaps Rowen would care to watch it with me..."

* * *

Sage set a new record that morning: The record for how fast you could wake Rowen, although it was not entirely of his doing.

When he stepped into the room they shared, it was only a matter of shutting the door to bring Rowen back to the world of the living. The bearer of Strata bolted awake, nearly rolling out of bed as he did so. He grabbed a wooden cross from his nightstand and held it up blindly, still trying to get his eyes to focus in the light of the morning sun. A great sigh escaped his lips when Sage snatched the cross from his hand and out of his face.

"As smart as you are Rowen, and with as much research as I saw you do yesterday, I would have expected you to know better. Crosses don't affect ghosts." Sage handed the wood object back. "And keep it out of my face, okay? I don't think the other guys would appreciate it much if you accused them of being vampires, either."

Rowen nodded, his face remaining neutral. His eyes, however, revealed to Sage an entirely different story. He was tense, sad, tired, nervous...scared?

_Rowen?_

_Sage, Ryo's a ghost...Cye and I could have been killed yesterday...Did Ryo try to, I mean, does he want us—_

Sage wasn't sure what to think as he listened to his best friend's apprehensive words. After all, Rowen had been the first to see Ryo's spirit. He would most likely know more of the light's intentions out of any of them. But still...Sage could not think of any reason as to why their deceased friend would be trying to kill them. It had to be the other spirit Rowen had seen that was trying to take them out. With no answers to give, Sage did the only thing he could think of and pulled his best friend into a hug, gently rubbing his back. _No Rowen, no. Don't ever think that. Ryo protected us in life, and he'll continue to do so in death. Everything will be okay. We'll figure this out...

* * *

_

Kento awoke abruptly when his flailing hand missed the ringing alarm clock and struck his nightstand instead. The boy's eyes grew to saucers. He howled and shook his hand, trying unsuccessfully to make the pain go away. "What a way to start the day," he grumbled to no one but himself. Rising to his feet, he walked to the mountain in the center of his and Cye's room. Stashed somewhere within that large pile was a clean shirt and pair of jeans, he was sure of it. The teen's hand paused when it landed on the white 'MILK BALL' sweatshirt Ryo had often borrowed from it. He picked it up and took a small whiff. It still had Ryo's undeniable scent lingering on it, and although faint, he was still able to pick out the _burnt_ smell. The only reasonable explanation he had been able to come up with for Ryo's odor was his armor element, and while he had been alive, it hadn't been unusual to walk into his room and smell such interesting aromas as roasted marshmallows or..._sausages._

_No wonder White Blaze loved him so_, he thought with a grin.

Grabbing an orange shirt with his name on it instead, Kento hurried through his bathroom routine, before drifting towards the kitchen. The sweet scent of Cye's food put him in a trance and he closed his eyes, letting his nose lead the way.

* * *

Sage heard the ringing of an alarm clock followed by a howl from the room next door. He was too preoccupied with Rowen at the moment though to do more than wonder at what Kento had done this time. When he finally freed himself from the other boy's grip, Sage walked over to Rowen's closet and threw a pair of jeans and a dark blue pullover to the disheveled boy. He waited for his friend to change before leading him to the hall bathroom, thinking that Kento may already have taken possession of theirs. He paused just outside the door, a look of inquiry upon his face. "Do you want me—"

"To wait? If you don't mind..." was the slightly embarassed response.

The blonde smiled reassuringly. "Of course I don't."

Sage listened to the normal morning bathroom sounds, then stepped aside when Rowen came back out, still looking as sheepish as he had when he'd first gone in.

The two friends walked in silent tandem together out of the room, down the stairs, and into the kitchen. Kento was pulling milk from the refrigerator when they sat down. Cye served everyone, filling his plate last before finally taking his own seat.

"Today's wonderful choice of breakfast is brought to you by Sage," he announced, causing the aforementioned boy to blush.

"All I did was tell you what to cook. You're the one who made it, and I must say, you did a superb job. Mmm," he murmured, taking another bite.

Cye's face flushed red at the praise. Through the corner of his eye, he caught Rowen picking rather dejectedly at the food on his plate. It was obvious that it was not the taste, however, that caused him to be so reserved. "So, Ro, how did he wake you up this time?" he asked, remembering Sage's earlier, mischievous words.

Sage peeked through the corner of his eye to see Rowen staring at him. Taking a hint when he saw one, he cleared his throat softly to catch the other boys' attentions. "There's more going on here than we realize, guys. I..._we _believe there's another spirit lurking around here besides Ryo's and it may be up to no good."

Kento and Cye nodded. They had come to figure as much, what with the previous day's events still fresh in their minds.

"But besides the question concerning who the other spirit is, we have to wonder this: Why is Ryo still here?"

A few moments passed in silence, save for the sound of forks clicking against plates as eating was slowly resumed. Finally, one of the boys risked making his opinion heard. "Maybe he doesn't know he's dead?"

Sage cuffed Kento upside the head. "Please, Kento: some of us are trying to be serious here! This isn't exactly a movie where some kid sees dead people."

Kento rubbed his head, his lower lip jutting out a little. "Yeesh! It was only a suggestion! You didn't have to hit me," he pouted.

"If he didn't know he was dead," Rowen began, trying to ease the tension, "then he would be sitting in his chair at the head of the table, eating, and wondering what on Earth we were talking about."

With not a hint of hesitation, four heads swiveled to face the empty chair. Nervous chuckles filled the room after a moment as they all realized what their reaction had been.

"Maybe we can't see him?" Cye volunteered as normality attempted to resume.

"You mean his spirit? No." Rowen shook his head to the negative. "Sage would be able to," he insisted.

At the mention of his name, Sage snapped out of the reflective trance he had been held in after staring at the chair, and pushed himself away from the table. "That was really great Cye, but I have to go meditate now."

Cye noticed that Sage's plate was still half full when he bent down to give the leftovers to White Blaze. The tiger was lying under the table near Ryo's empty chair. An odd place for the tiger as of recent weeks, but then again, nothing seemed normal around the manor anymore.

* * *

When Sage appeared from upstairs, he was dressed in one of his thicker winter kimonos. It was a good idea, as when he stepped outside, a wall of solid, frigid air hit him with the force of a determined Nether World soldier. He placed his hands in the wide sleeves of his kimono and looked up to the sky. The temperature as of late had been averaging around 30ï‚F, dipping to well below 10ï‚F at night. The sky had been overcast and dreary all week, threatening to spill all that it was feebly attempting to hold back. Rowen had already tried convincing him to stop meditating outside for fear he would catch cold, but Sage was too stubborn for that. The armor had made him more resilient than he had ever been before and the cold did not bother him as it would a _normal_ human being.

While passing the pond that bordered Mia's backyard, Sage noticed ice beginning to overtake the water. He knew that everything eventually succumbed to the pull of winter, but he also knew that spring would triumph in the end. The thought of the chilly temperatures brought to mind Cale and he wondered if the former Warlord was enjoying the weather. He wondered if...

_Do they even know about Ryo? Would the staff have told them? Maybe when this is all over we can pay them a visit. We haven't heard from Kayura and the Warlords in a while, _he mused, not sure if that was a good thing or bad.

Sage's favorite meditating ground was about a 15-minute walk from the house. Today, however, he took it slow, and absorbed the sites around him. He wanted to enjoy life now that the fate of the entire world was not resting on his and his companions' shoulders. If only Ryo had been given the same chance...He had barely received four months of real peace and happiness before everything was stripped away. The saying that life wasn't fair couldn't be true enough.

Stopping on one of the taller hills on Mia's property, Sage looked about at the land that was stretched below him. He shook his head, then continued walking. _How anyone could like winter is beyond me._

The warrior of light continued at a leisurely pace until he abruptly pulled up short. Right before his eyes was the clearing; he'd been so absorbed in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed. With a shake of his head he sat down, mumbling under his breath with a hint of anger, "'Life is an adventure, live it to the fullest.' "

_Whoever originally said that obviously never had to deal with mystical armor, much less wear Ryo's shoes for a day._

Time passed at a decent pace for the blonde teen as he pulled himself deeper and deeper into his meditation. An hour went smoothly by as Sage shifted through the many events, feelings, and memories he had filed away to be looked at. Without warning, something dropped swiftly from the trees and knocked him to his back. Sage's head spun from having been driven from his meditation so forcibly and against his will. He licked dry lips and discovered something warm and coppery already there. Bringing his fingertips to the chapped skin, he discovered blood.

Sage narrowed his eyes and shakily tried to rise, using his right hand to push himself up. One muffled cry later, he found himself on his back again, tenderly massaging his right wrist. Luckily it didn't appear to be broken, but he had no doubt that it was badly sprained and he hissed when a sore spot was touched.

"All right guys, you can come out now. I think your prank went _very_ wrong." Sage stood to his feet and managed to get in a look at the surrounding trees before the _something _that had hit him earlier plowed into him from behind. This time he was careful not to land on his hand and injure it further, but he couldn't escape the inevitable. With a strained grunt he landed face first on the cold, hard ground. The bearer of Halo groaned and climbed to his hands and knees, only to be kicked in his side before he could gain his feet. He instinctively curled into a ball to protect himself while he rolled, then knelt on one knee when he came to a halt and placed his right hand on his sore ribs. The left he placed on the ground for additional support. Sage shivered unconsciously. By now, his kimono was in shards, leaving him exposed to the frigid air. Before his invisible attacker could do anything more, he called his subarmor.

From the left side of the clearing a loud, unexpected crack range out and shattered the mostly still air. Sage panicked for a split second, then threw his hands up to protect his head as a large, monstrous tree suddenly split in two and fell right at him. His scream ended when the tree slammed into him, knocking the boy to the ground and ridding his lungs of air. Dazed and confused, it took a moment, but his muddled mind was finally able to push the fear away and concentrate on the necessities. He attempted large, deep breaths to get air back into his lungs.

A voice reached Sage at about the time he was finally able to breath his first breath and he nearly choked on it as the fear and surprise all came rushing back to him. It filled him in a way he would never admit to.

"Do you remember little 'ol me? It would be a shame if you didn't. After all, someone very close to you died at my hands."

Sage's heart leapt into his throat and he could feel it constrict at the words. The thought to call for Rowen brushed through his mind, but his attacker obviously had other ideas. Before Sage could blink again, his world went black.

* * *

Rowen was in the bathroom, staring at that one stubborn, blue forelock of his. He was trying to conceive a plan of how to move it somewhere else and make it _stay _thereSo far he had had no such luck. The teen grimaced when he felt butterflies unexpectantly erupt within his stomach for no apparent reason. Staggering out of the bathroom, Rowen stumbled to the den where Cye and Kento were laying near the fire watching TV. "Do you guys sense anything..._unusual_?" he asked them.

"Like what?" Kento questioned, his mouth full of popcorn.

"Ssh! This is the best part!"

Rowen walked further into the den so that he could see what they were watching. He rolled his eyes. He should have known.

"Yeah! Free Willy! Go Willy, go! Get away from those bad guys!" Cye leapt to his feet, barely surpressing the urge to hop around the room. He settled instead for a few thumps of his foot and a fist that pumped through the air. "Oh, how wonderful," he sniffed, reaching for a tissue when the Orca finally conquered the wall and became free.

Rowen looked curiously at Kento.

The other boy grinned. "I promised that if he made me cookies, we could watch this instead of Shanghai Noon. When it comes to food, even the great Jackie Chan has to wait!"

With a groan Rowen headed up the stairs and disappeared into his room, the previous reason for his distress momentarily forgotten. He hoped that the closed door of his bedroom would block out Cye's sniffling and happy chattering.

* * *

A headache like no other woke the bearer of Halo and immediately sent him into a fit of grumpiness. He tried to stand, but to no avail. Sage had forgotten about the tree that pinned him down. At that moment, he didn't care whether or not anyone heard the curse that escaped his lips.

"For shame, for shame. What a mouth for one so young! You remind me of someone I killed once. What was his name? Ah yes, I remember..._Ryo Sanada._"

Sage grit his teeth. He could feel his ire being raised to an uncontrollable level. "Come out and show yourself coward! Why don't you fight me like a real man!"

"Because I'm not." Just a short distance away, at the front of the clearing, a dark green light trickled into existence. From this, the outline of a boy not much older than him appeared and finally, details began to show up as the figure solidified. "I'm a ghost. So you see, it's no longer possible for me to be a 'real man' as you have desired to see it put. I will, however, as a generous and honest spirit, at least give you a chance to defend yourself."

"Gee, thanks," Sage grumbled as the large tree was lifted off of him by unseen hands. "Dao Chi!" were the words that escaped his lips as soon as he was able to stand. The familiar bolts of silk and cherry blossoms wound around him, creating the mystical armor that had ruled his life since he had discovered it. The many aches over his body swiftly began to diminish.

"I see you don't care for formal introductions, Sage Date." The figure's voice lowered threateningly. _"Sage of Halo. _But I want you to know the name of the person who will bring about your demise. My name, Halo, is—"

"I know what your god-forsaken name is!" Sage threw at the spirit. He was infuriated by this _ghost's_ self-confidence. "You're Hideyo Hazuki. You killed one of my best friends! And it's _you_ who has been trying to kill the others!" Sage launched himself at the figure, completely unprepared when his sword went straight through without inflicting even the slightest amount of damage. He tried repeatedly to make a mark on his opponent, but each time proved unsuccessful.

Hideyo, unhurt and obviously enjoying himself, punched Sage's unprotected face.

The warrior stepped back and brought an armored hand to his nose. He wouldn't be surprised if it was broken. In fact, he was fairly certain it was as he opened his mouth to provide entrance into his body for the chilled air. But the thought of Hideyo being able to hurt him and not vice-versa worried the warrior more than any broken bones at the moment.

_This will certainly be a short battle, _he thought, _if I can't figure out his weakness._ _I could call the others but the armor of Halo probably has the best chance in this battle. There's no sense in getting the others injured, too._

Hideyo mock jumped at Sage and laughed as the other tripped in his haste to get away. "You see?" he asked smugly. "Your opposition to death is just a waste of both of our breaths. Oh wait! I almost forgot! I don't have to breathe anymore." A grin of smug, malicious intent found its way to his lips.

Sage scrambled back to his feet as quickly as he could. This guy was sick, that much Sage was sure of. Holding his no-datchi before his face, he looked across the blade hoping to find an answer. How was he going to get out of this one? _Ghosts are just spirits with unfinished business, right? What could Hideyo's be? _"What do you want?" he asked the spirit, hoping to lure some sort of clue from the mass of energy before him. "Why are you here?"

Hideyo smirked. "A warrior cannot have honor without successfully finishing that which he starts, correct?"

Sage narrowed his eyes menacingly. He didn't like where this was leading. "Correct..."

"I have come to claim the rest of my honor."

"You have no honor!" So that was it. Hideyo had come to kill the rest of the Ronins, the one thing that would make his revenge against Ryo complete. What else would hurt the now-deceased Ronin more than having his closest friends killed in a feud that they did not even belong in? It was the ultimate maker of self-guilt, and Sage easily remembered how taken his leader had been by the emotion in life. But how could Hideyo call killing someone out of cold blood _honor_?

"Oh, but I do," the spirit retaliated at Sage's accusation. "And I_ will_ get what I want," he hissed. "As soon as everyone is dead that was precious and dear to the scum Sanada's heart, I will have my honor. I _will _complete my revenge. His death was not enough!"

Whether it was the realization of what Hideyo's unfinished business was, the way he talked about Ryo, or the fact that he was just tired of being pushed around, something inside the usually cool blonde finally snapped. "Even in death you are a madman...Go to Hell: The one place you _do_ belong!"

Sage twirled and controlled his no-datchi with the perfection that came from years of hard practice. He advanced on the ghost, pushing him back, much to the Ronin's surprise. The two danced out of the clearing and away from it until they arrived on the hill that Sage had occupied earlier. With a flip of his wrist, the warrior of light made his Halo sword slice diagonally across Hideyo's chest. Shocked amazement showed on both their faces when the blade made contact and sliced the shirt in two from Hideyo's left shoulder to right hip.

The spirit's eyes widened when he noticed a small trickle of blood seep out of his skin. "Y-You _touched_ me! How is that possible!" he gasped, horrified.

Sage couldn't hide the feral smile that slipped onto his face. He was quickly encouraged by the sight of blood staining Hideyo's chest and pushed him further back, closer to the water.

Hideyo looked down with a panic-stricken expression when they reached the end of the tall hill. "You don't want to do this," he began, stepping slightly to the side. "You are a warrior of honor! You do not kill in cold blood!"

"Protecting my friends speaks of more than cold blood, wouldn't you say?" Sage saw that the spirit was going to attempt an escape and threw his no-datchi to the ground. He leapt forward and wrapped his arms around the other, intent on keeping him where he was. But Sage had forgotten exactly who and what he was dealing with.

Hideyo's eyes took on a deadly, yet pleased look to them. "Foolish boy, don't you know ghosts don't have blood?" He smiled grimly. In that one instant, the dead boy became transparent again before he completely disappeared from sight. "You have been deceived, Sage of Halo! Now, two down, three more to go." Hideyo's unmistakable madman laugher rang throughout the air as he merrily watched his victim tumble head over heels down the hillside and into the freezing pond below. He left upon hearing the satisfying splash of the living boy hit the water, and the popping of bubbles that accompanied it as Sage's body sunk swiftly to the pond's bottom.

* * *

**COMPLETELY REVISED: 7/19/2004**


	4. The Big Engine That Did

**Summary – It's been just two and a half months since Ryo Sanada's untimely death, and as the other Ronins are trying to return to normal lives, they are interrupted by two unearthly beings who are not yet ready to be forgotten and set aside.**

**Disclaimer I do not own Ronin Warriors and their related universe. I am simply borrowing them from Sunrise Inc. to fulfill my desire to write. Chances are, any names that you _don't_ recognize belong to me.

* * *

**

**Unfinished Business**

Chapter 4: The _Big _Engine That _Did_

By: Marie Kenobi

* * *

_Failure._

_Hard._

_Crack!_

_Splash!_

_Cold, wet, dark._

_Gasp._

_Air._

_Suffocation._

_Air!_

_Cye._

_Ryo?_

_Cye, find Sage. Help Sage!_

_Ryo? Why are you still here? Who is the other spirit? Ryo!_

_Find him; help Sage, Cye!_

_AIR!_

Cye's eyes snapped open, giving him the momentary appearance of a deer caught in the headlights. Confusion covered his face. Of all people, why had he, Cye of the Torrent, had a dream of drowning? Not only that, but Ryo had been in the dream as well. But why? A warning to convince him that not even he was invincible in water? No, that didn't seem right. Ryo had said something about helping Sage. Why would Sage need help?

Sea-green eyes swept their surroundings to determine where they were. A couch, two recliners, a coffee table –

"Aw man!"

And Kento playing his newest video game. Yes, just as he'd thought: He was in the den, relaxing on the love seat. What time was it? He couldn't see the VCR's clock for a fluffy, blue-ash colored animal. Wait, that was Kento's mop of hair... "Hey, Kento?"

"Welcome back to the world of the living, Sleeping Beauty."

"What time is it?"

"12:30. Why? Oh, by the way, when is lunch?"

Cye rolled his eyes. "I'll fix some in a moment, but first I want to ask Sage's opinion of something. Where is he?" he asked, already moving towards the stairs.

Kento responded without missing a beat. The game controller bobbed furiously in his hands. "Duh, he isn't back yet. If you had been awake and cooking something you would have known that."

Ignoring Kento's remark, Cye hurried up the stairs and stopped at the first closed door on his right. He knocked twice. "Hello? Anyone home?"

"Yeah, it's open. Come on in."

The door swung smoothly on its hinges when Cye turned the knob and pushed. Rowen was bent over his desk, concentrating on a letter he was writing to his pen pal that lived near Tokyo. Cye leaned over his friend's shoulder curiously. "How's Yasuo?" he asked.

"He's fine."

"Oh. That's good." Silence hung heavy in the air and Cye realized that Rowen didn't really want to be bothered. He decided to quickly get to the point. "Rowen—"

"Yes Cye?"

"Rowen, I have a feeling that something bad might have happened to Sage."

There was no forth-coming response from the younger boy, leaving Cye to wonder if he had even heard. A slight stiffening in Rowen's posture and his failure to continue writing alerted the bearer of Torrent that he had. Hearing no objections, Cye pushed on. "He's been gone for almost three hours, and I just woke up from a nightmare where I was drowning in icy cold water. Ryo told me to find Sage and help him." Cye waited patiently for Rowen's response, wondering after a moment of silence if the other teen had zoned out. As he turned towards the door to leave, however, and search for the blonde by himself, someone took hold of his wrist.

"It was a warning. Sage is, or was, in danger. I felt something wrong pass through me earlier as well. We need to go look for him."

"It's about time. Thank heavens Fish Boy and Mr. Obvious aren't the ones leading the Ronin Warriors, or else our world would have been doomed a long time ago!"

"Oh, and you knew something fishy was going on around here, Kento? Pardon the pun, Cye," Rowen added. The bearer of Torrent waved it off good-naturedly.

"Well, of cour-r-rse," Kento retorted. He grinned cockily at them from the bathroom where he had been hiding.

"Sure you did, Kento," Rowen teased. "Sure you did." He snatched a jacket off his chair and hurried quickly after Cye, who had already descended the stairs.

The bulky teen chuckled softly to himself as he hurried to catch up with his companions.

* * *

Outside, the weather was a frigid 29 degrees. White, fluffy snow had finally burst from its prison in the clouds and was falling rapidly. Already sticking to the ground, it didn't take long for the holes created by their boots to be filled in. White Blaze appeared and leapt playfully around them, accidentally bumping into Cye before disappearing again into their white surroundings. The boy was sent crashing to the ground with an expression of surprise. Cye shook it off with a laugh: if he couldn't have rain, snow was the next best thing. Kento attempted to help him back up, but was promptly pulled down to join his best friend. With an agitated grunt, Rowen jerked Cye to his feet. The look on his face spoke words. 'Knock it off,' he was saying. Cye sobered, remembering why they were out in the cold to begin with, and waited as Rowen helped Kento back up before they continued towards Sage's favorite meditating spot, the area they had chosen to begin their searching at.

While walking past the pond, Cye felt an odd shiver run up his spine. At the same time he felt a burning sensation course throughout his body in warning. That could only mean one thing: Sage was nearby. The question was, where? His muscles tensed then released just as quickly when he sprinted away from the others and ran along the pond's edge. He could follow it to a chain of hills that eventually led to the clearing. It was a shortcut they used when in a hurry to find Sage—

Up ahead he spotted one of the taller hills on Mia's property. Cye turned towards it, preparing to scale the large mound of earth when he noticed a rather large break in the ice that covered the pond on his right. Curious, he slowed, waiting for Kento and Rowen to join him before moving tentatively towards the break. It was abnormally large looking...

_Failure. Hard. Crack! Splash! Cold, wet, dark—_

"Sage!" the three teens exclaimed simultaneously. Cye's remembrance of his dream had been transferred from his thought lines to the others via their mental links. The lightweight Ronin wasted no time in calling upon his armor. In a flash of intense blue light he had transformed, thrown his yari down, and dived into the murky, cold water, calling his faceplate back as he did so. Rowen's face grew pale as one thought repeatedly ran through his mind: Another of his best friends had been snatched away from him for absolutely no reason...Why hadn't he gone looking for Sage when he had first felt something was wrong!

Down below, Cye pushed himself through the murky water with ease, but even with his faceplate in use, the freezing water still managed to numb his exposed skin. _What was Sage even doing down by the pond? _he wondered absently, passing a small school of fish that managed to survive in the chilly temperatures. Something dark caught his attention and as he turned, something else, this time pale, caused his breath to leave him. He froze, gently treading water where he was.

_Snap out of it! _

The unexpected voice jerked him out of his reverie. Cye didn't stop to think _who_ the voice might belong to, although it _did _sound familiar. With a strong thrust from his legs against a rock, he kicked his way towards the still figure drifting freely at the bottom of the pond. Cye grabbed his friend around the waist and pushed against the ground, letting his feet propel them towards the hole in the ice.

It was Sage's helmeted head that surfaced first, quickly followed by Cye's. The latter drew in a deep, frantic breath when his facemask disappeared, although he had been able to breathe perfectly well under water. Kento, kneeling at the edge of the pond, reached out for the unconscious Ronin. Rowen helped Cye out and the two hurried over to their companions whom were already halfway up one of the smaller hills.

Rowen fell to his knees, eyes wide and mouth gaping. He couldn't believe what he was seeing; he _refused_ to believe it. Sage looked so..._vulnerable..._ When had Sage _ever_ looked vulnerable?

He tried to speak the name of his best friend, but his chapped, numb lips would not let the word slide past them. Rowen reached a trembling hand out to touch Sage's cheek and instantly recoiled. His skin was so cold...The youngest of the Ronins suddenly felt like he had been dropped into his five year old body again and was reliving the pain of his grandfather's death: a man of which he had been particularly fond of. But this time, he could not go to his loveable St. Bernard for comfort; he could not crawl into a corner and draw his knees up to his chest and _cry. _At least not in the way he currently felt like doing

Gingerly plucking the Halo helmet from where it had been set aside by Cye, Rowen slipped to the ground and cradled it against his chest, a look of pure terror and distress plastered across his features.

Meanwhile, Cye was growling deep in his throat. _Dang you, Sage, don't leave us. Not now. Not so soon after Ryo... _He glanced briefly at the blue tinted lips of his blonde friend before checking his pulse. It was there, but as he placed his ear against Sage's armored chest, he couldn't help but wonder if the beating heart he heard was his own and not Sage's. Cye's eyes roamed back to the pale face as he pinched the warrior of wisdom's nose, vaguely feeling the sure indication of a broken bone, and began to blow into his mouth. He watched the forced rise and fall of his friend's chest through the corner of his eye before he motioned Kento to begin CPR. Rowen whimpered and backed into a tree.

Inside Kento, anger began to swell. Rowen and Sage were supposed to be best friends. Why wasn't he helping? And who was good enough to do this to Sage while he was fully armored up? He had to have been fighting someone; nothing else could explain the many cuts and bruises, or the blood on Sage's face. A simple training exercise would not have caused this. Finally, through the bulk of the green Halo armor, he felt the tensing of muscles in Sage's stomach, indicating that he was about to spit up water. Kento helped him to roll over.

Behind them, Rowen lurched forward onto his hands and knees. He watched as Sage vomited all of the offending water that he could and slipped lifelessly into Kento's awaiting arms. Cye pried one of the blonde warrior's eyes open and noted the dilated pupils. "Come on Kento, let's get him back to the house and under some blankets. I'd say he was under for at least two hours. I'm amazed his armor could sustain him that long."

Kento lifted the limp body with ease; after all, it was fair to say he'd had plenty of practice. Almost immediately the Halo armor disappeared, wrenching Sage's helmet with it and away from Rowen's smothering grip. He looked up in shock when Kento kicked him rather hard in his side.

"Get up," was the curt command.

Cye and Kento were a good 20 feet ahead of Rowen before his mind cleared and he became himself again. "Cye!"

The bearer of Torrent turned ever so slightly. "Yes?"

Rowen broke into a sprint. "Shed your armor and come with me to the house. I'll get the first aid kit and you make a bed on the couch. Make sure you get lots of blankets so we can gradually warm him. If we do it too soon, we'll only make things worse."

With a final glance at Sage's limp body, Rowen took off towards the house. Cye shrugged at his best friend, referring to Rowen's sudden change of attitude, and the larger of the two frowned deeply. He didn't like Rowen's bossy attitude. Not one bit...

* * *

The clearing was quiet, devoid of the songs of birds that had stayed for winter or the whispering of wind through the ancient trees. The snow was beginning to grow steadily thicker when three figures walked up.

"It's beautiful here."

"It sure is."

"Oh! Honored One!"

"Honored One, how are you?"

"Hello!"

"Hello, children," a fourth figure greeted as she strolled calmly to the others' sides. "Thank you for asking, I am fine. But we have more important things to worry about. The friends of Sanada are still in great danger. Hideyo believes the one in green is dead, but it won't take him long to find out the truth."

"What about the tiger?"

"And the one with orange armor? He hasn't attempted anything towards them yet."

The elder figure sighed deeply. "I do not know Hideyo's intentions for the tiger. We will have to be patient and see what transpires."

"But the boy? What about him?"

The elder sent a disproving look at her youngest 'child.' "Please do not interrupt."

"Ah, sorry, Honored One."

"He is with the other Ronin Warriors. Hideyo isn't cocky enough to go after all four at once, but we should keep a watchful eye on them. And Hideyo. We must be ever watchful for our opportunity."

"Right, of course. Good idea."

"Come children, let us go."

* * *

Back inside Mia Koji's house, Sage had been carefully laid out upon the couch. Cye had done most of the bandaging while Rowen paced nervously back and forth along the den's perimeters.

Considering all, it was definitely to Sage's advantage that he wore the Halo armor. During the time he had been underwater, his armor had not only kept him alive, but also healed many of his various wounds. Kento had claimed first watch over him while Cye dragged an apprehensive Rowen into the kitchen.

Twenty minutes later, Cye still sipped at the same cold tea, occasionally looking at the newspaper. Dimly he noted that nothing had changed since he'd looked at it that morning. The small clinking of Rowen's teacup as he put it on the table caused him to squirm slightly in his seat, but besides this, he gave no indications that he had even heard it.

"Cye."

Cye looked over the rim of his own cup. Rowen's face slowly tilted up to stare him in the eye. His midnight blue orbs wavered slightly, then returned to face the sea-green eyes again. Cye saw tears spring forth and threaten to overflow like too much water behind a dam.

"Cye, I don't think Sage is going to make it." He struggled to keep his gaze level with the boy sitting across from him. His hands were shaking so badly by now that it truly was a good thing that he had already set his teacup on the table. Otherwise, its shattered remains would most likely be strewn across the floor.

"Whatever, or whoever, fought with Sage injured him badly and probably did more damage than Sage realized." Rowen swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the lump that had settled in his throat. "The amount of energy it must have taken to keep his armor and stay alive taxed whatever strength he may still have had after the battle. Not only that, but it took even more energy for his armor to heal him the little bit that it did. Hypothermia has set in; who knows how much water he swallowed. He might have pneumonia by now...and it only takes a tablespoon of water in the lungsto kill someone. Even if we'd taken him to the hospital when we first found him, I don't think it would have helped. Whatever attacked the two of us is out to get us all."

Rowen looked away, no longer able to hold his companion's gaze. A tear slid down his ruddy cheek. "Sage's life is slipping away even as we speak and there's nothing that can be done about—"

"Rowen! Your kanji!" Cye sprang to his feet and pointed to the blue symbol of 'Life' on his friend's forehead. Rowen's eyes grew wide.

"Yours is glowing too!" Both boys turned nervously towards the den just as Kento's frightened call reached their ears.

"His heart's stopped!"

Rowen felt instinct kick in and pointed to Cye. "Call 911! Kento, help me perform CPR!"

The two boys ran their separate ways. Rowen informed Kento to help him lay Sage on the floor and with the former at Sage's head and the latter at his chest, they began what they hoped would be a life-saving procedure.

"One, two, three, four, five, _breathe!_"

"Don't get any funny ideas," Rowen murmured to the still face of his best friend before he gently pinched Sage's bruised nose and tried to transfer what he hoped would be the desperately needed breath of life. He attempted it another time before rocking back on his knees and refilling his own lungs. Kento continued with his duty.

"One, two, three—"

"The ambulance is on its way!" Cye announced, running in from the kitchen.

"—Four, five, _breathe!_"

Rowen leaned over his best friend again and blew out a lung full of air. Sage wasn't responding. With every attempt made to call the bearer of Halo back to them, he seemed to drift further away. His lips were turning blue and his face was growing white, until finally, when Rowen leaned down for the umpteenth time to administer air, a single, desperate tear fell from his cheek to that of the unconscious warrior's. In the next instant, Sage's eyes flew open and the urgent squealing of a siren was heard in the distance, coming closer and closer, but still sounding so far away to Sage, even as it pulled into the driveway and Cye hurried to let them in.

Noises were muffled and amplified all at the same time. His vision was blurred. Why was everyone so far away? Where was Rowen? Where was Ryo? Why had he left him, pushed him away? _So many questions_, he thought, _so many_. The light: it had been beautiful, and the blonde teen had relished in all its silent glory as it had suffused him in it. The rays had been as golden as his hair and as brilliant as the full moon. But no, Ryo had forced him away from the peace and serenity that he had found in the light. Now, the only thing he could find was pain and cold. It was everywhere, traveling from the tips of his hair to the end of his toes and it was numbing, to a degree that he wasn't sure he'd ever felt before. He wanted so badly to sleep...

"Sage, can you hear me? Keep your eyes open, Buddy."

"Rowen?"

"Yeah, it's me—"

"Excuse us, Son. We'll take over from here."

Sage's half-lidded eyes turned drearily to their right. He could just barely make out a shock of blue hair that poked out from behind a wall of hustling white uniforms. He cursed the EMTs who blocked his friend from view. They were here to bring him back to good health, to life. What if he didn't want to live? His near-death experience had spoken seductive words to his wise, caring heart that made him doubt what he had at one time been so sure of. In his current state of mind, he longed for death, for _peace_. But perhaps there was a reason for him to still live. Could the Ronins truly handle the death of another team member so soon?

A door slammed and something was strapped over his nose and mouth. Then something sharp became embedded in his hand, and whatever he was lying on accelerated. _No_, he thought when the sirens reached his ears: the ambulance was speeding away and he was stuck on a one-way trip back to recovery.

Not far behind the speeding ambulance was a blue Ford F-150. Cye was behind the wheel, fumbling around with the radio and searching for the 'off' button. Rowen leaned forward and turned the volume down. He readjusted his seat belt, leaned his head back, and closed his dark blue eyes. He'd never been much of a religious person, never really needing prayer in his short life. Not even the day Ryo had died: That had happened so quickly. Now, however, he lifted his pleas to whatever god would listen.

_Please, oh please, don't let him die!

* * *

_

Meanwhile, back at the house, Kento blew his breath out in one large rush. It lingered visibly before him for a few seconds before disappearing from view. That pestering tiger would surely kill him before he reached the legal age to drink. He'd been extremely obstinate and uncooperative since Ryo's death, and the past half-hour had reassured the agitated warrior off this observation. The pesky tiger was nowhere to be found, and even with his subarmor on, he had been chilled. Oh well, Blaze would be okay. He thrived in the snow, didn't he?

With a sigh, Kento released his subarmor, letting it be replaced instead with his clothes from earlier. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he walked to the house, locked the door, and headed back to the dirty, white SUV he had rented for the winter. His own vehicle was in the shop, although the simple van wouldn't have done him any good in this weather even if it _had_ been running right.

Turning the key once, Kento listened to the motor scratch and die. Most likely the car was still cold. Turning it again, the SUV's 'heart' revved to life and he sped off towards the hospital.

Just ten minutes into the drive he came upon a pair of well-traversed railroad tracks. _Strange_, he thought distractedly, _the bell's going off..._

Kento stopped a safe distance from the first track and glanced to his left, then right. There was a locomotive followed by a string of cars on the second track, but it was stopped. Kento looked around. It was strange, what with the lights blinking, the bells ringing...and the odd fact that he appeared to be the _only _person on the usually busy road. But better yet, why weren't the arms coming down to block the tracks since the trigger had obviously been switched on? _Oh well_, the teen finally decided, and started forward slowly. Without warning the arms dropped, banging against the hood and breaking in the back. The SUV stalled on the tracks and in that instant, Kento saw it. A dark green mist had strangely grown to cover the entire area and through this light came a terrifying sight to behold: The train was headed straight for him. In another few seconds, it hit full force.

* * *

"NBRC News, at the top of the hour, every hour; and now for your host, _Midori Sansui!_"

"Hello, and welcome to NBRC News. Our top story today involves a collision earlier this afternoon between an SUV and a train, but first, let's go to Korematsu Takamoto."

"Thank you, Sansui. Today in soccer..."

Rowen sighed and shifted his chin from one hand to the other. Beside him, Cye mumbled something incoherent. They'd been sitting in a stark white hospital waiting room for nearly 45 minutes. Nothing had been heard about Sage thus far, and as of yet they had not been able to get a hold of his family or Kento.

"—And now for our top story. Earlier today, a white SUV stalled on a pair of train tracks leading into town. It became stuck between the red and white arm rails, before being struck by a locomotive. Experts are entirely unsure of what to make of this particular case. Currently, no blame is being placed on the train's conductors for this tragedy, as their shift only began 10 minutes prior to the accident and they are not believed to have fallen asleep. The conductors' families' fears were confirmed just a short while ago when the two bodies of the train operators were pulled from the locomotive.

"What makes this story so peculiar, however, is that, despite the fact that the railroad tracks intersect with one of the busiest roads in town, there were no reported eyewitnesses to the accident. Another twist involves the concerns of local paramedics: No one was found in the struck SUV. Dogs have been sent out to try and track the vehicle's owner, for it is believed the person or persons could be in dire need of medical attention. The only evidence that has yet to show up are a few, foot-shaped indentations that appear to have been made by something metal, as well as a few scratches of orange along the car's paint. If you have any information concerning the location of this SUV's owner or this accident, please contact us. We will have information to pass to you as soon as it is made available."

Cye's jaw hit the ground, his eyes bulging from his head. He hadn't paid close attention to the news broadcast until near the end when 'metal' footprints and orange colored scratches had been noted in the report. One glance at the television monitor had brought his world tumbling down.

Rowen, on the other hand, had seen the whole thing. No matter the situation he was in, he liked to be up-to-date, especially on the day's top news story. But this, _this_ wasn't what he had wanted to see! From the moment he laid eyes on the crumpled, demolished white SUV, he'd known whom it belonged to; and it was a horrid realization: one that Cye had just figured out.

It began quietly at first, and then began rising in intensity until the sound reflected that of sandpaper rubbing against skin.

Rowen, whom had previously stood and had begun pacing as he nervously watched the TV screen, stumbled and was forced to steady himself against a wall.

The reason: Cye.

He'd thought the noise he'd heard was just the labored breathing of a patient. But it was not a patient. It was the terrified bearer of Torrent.

Cye yelled his best friend's name in a raspy voice, earning a confused look from one of the floor's many receptionists. Rowen noticed the older teen was breaking out into a cold sweat, his eyes glazed over as he retreated into a corner of his mind, his thin, fragile body shaking as he struggled to breath. Finally making his way over to the auburn haired boy, Rowen found him hyperventilating at his best. He took the slender shoulders and shook them roughly. A sign of recognition flickered briefly through Cye's eyes before he was overwhelmed and blinded by tears. A passerby looked curiously at them, opening his mouth as though to offer assistance should it be desired. Rowen waved them off before the question could be spoken. "We're fine, we're fine," he mumbled aggravated before half-dragging, half-carrying Cye to the bathroom.

Once inside, he slapped the elder teen. The stormy eyes returned questioning, and willingness to listen to whatever the deep blue orbs had to tell them shone deep inside. A storm waited on the horizon, ready to flood and destroy anything in its path without so much as a warning. Rowen's heart melted at the sight and he suddenly remembered what it was like to lose a best friend. The thought of losing another, possibly even two more, was almost enough to send him down a path of tears as well. Was it just him? Or were the Ronin Warriors falling apart?

"Cye," Rowen finally said after a moment, wrapping the other boy comfortingly in his arms. _Kento can't be dead; we would have felt it. Neither of our kanjis have made themselves known and no body was found. Have faith; Hardrock has never gone down that easily._

A toilet flushed, quickly followed by the exiting of an elderly man with a crooked, wooden cane in his hands. He looked at them strangely before making a hasty retreat. When he was gone, Cye pushed away, blushing slightly. "I'm sorry Ro. Now everyone is going to think we're gay."

The blue-haired boy waved it off. "Who cares what everyone else thinks? They're naïve, Cye; they don't even know who saved this world's butt...twice! That is, if the world has a butt. I'm beginning to think those Americans make up the Earth's butt; you know what I mean? They're just so—"

Cye chuckled softly between his hiccups. "Rowen?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Now what do you say to going back to the waiting room and...waiting?"

* * *

**COMPLETELY REVISED 7/25/2004**

**A brand new, never posted before chapter is coming next week! Check back often! Thanks minasan!**

**--Marie K.**


	5. Sights For Sore Eyes

**Summary – It's been just two and a half months since Ryo Sanada's untimely death, and as the other Ronins are trying to return to normal lives, they are interrupted by two unearthly beings who are not yet ready to be forgotten and set aside.**

**Disclaimer I do not own Ronin Warriors and their related universe. I am simply borrowing them from Sunrise Inc. to fulfill my desire to write. Chances are, any names that you _don't_ recognize belong to me.

* * *

**

**Unfinished Business**

Chapter 5: Sights For Sore Eyes

By: Marie Kenobi

* * *

So much for eating breakfast that morning.

Just like he thought: you were still capable of dying even after eating such a nutritious and fulfilling meal such as Cye's had been. What he wouldn't give for a nice, warm cup of misoshiru at that moment. Just the thought of it brought a smile to his face and set his mouth to watering, but it was a feeling that was quickly replaced by pain. By the gods did his hand ever hurt! A simple twitch of the fingers was enough to send shockwaves of hot furry through his veins. He didn't _think_ it was broken—he knew well enough from the armor war what broken bones felt like—but neither did it feel like a simple sprain. It was just that he had landed on it so hard when leaping out of the SUV; and he hadn't called his armor by that point, either, so there had been no extra support for his one hand to uphold his large build.

Up ahead he could see the hospital staring mundanely back at him with all its depressingly gloomy power. How he hated that place. Hated it with a vengeance. But it was within that building that he would find his three remaining comrades-in-arms.

Or was it two by now?Sage hadn't looked too hot upon leaving in the screaming ambulance.

No, best not to think like that... 

With a shake of his head, an act that immediately set the world to spinning, the onlooker stumbled to a dark, sheltered corner of the hospital and promptly slipped to the ground. He was exhausted and looked much too..._unusual_ at the moment to be waltzing into any public place. _Especially_ a hospital.

So, the armor-clad boy did the next best thing that came to mind.

* * *

_Cye? Buddy, are you there? I could use some help out here. Rowen?_

The two boys waiting dejectedly together in the lobby of the hospital for any news of their friends snapped to attention.

"Rowen?"

"Cye?"

"Did you just hear the same thing I think I just heard?"

"I'm not sure. Did it sound to you like a bulk of a teenager who's known to wear orange armor from time to time and complain of hunger while doing battle against an evil spirit bent on conquering our worthless mortal planet we so ignorantly and ungraciously reside on?"

Cye blinked repeatedly. He could feel his head spinning as he attempted to follow Rowen's insane logic. Finally he gave up trying, mumbled a quick, "Sure, if you say so," and dragged the other boy swiftly down three flights of stairs and out of the toasty hospital by a personal-restricted doorway.

Rowen, for his part, went along without another word.

Cye reached deep within his mind to establish a firmer connection with their teammate. He began to murmur quietly to no one particular. "Now where is that bulk of a teenager who's known to wear orange armor from time to time and complain of hunger while doing battle against an evil spirit bent on conquering our worthless mortal planet we so ignorantly and ungraciously reside on?"

Rowen naturally, again, did not say anything.

"The bulk of a teenager who's known to wear orange armor from time to time and complain of hunger while doing battle against an evil spirit bent on conquering our worthless mortal planet we so ignorantly and ungraciously reside on is right here," a voice from the shadows announced; and while Cye rushed to the spot, Rowen remained dumbfounded where he was...until Cye returned to retrieve him, that is.

"How did you two do that?" he asked incredulously as he was pulled along. "How did you memorize what I said so quickly!"

His curiosity was met with two unimpressed stares. The bearer of Strata wisely chose to leave the subject alone.

Relief washed over the mental connection Kento shared with his teammates as Cye pulled him eagerly into a hug. "Woah! Woah, there Bud, take it easy on me, would you?" Cye quickly released his hold and leaned back.

"You're hurt!" he exclaimed, taking notice of the bruises and cuts that were most apparent.

"Yeah," was the quiet response. Kento's eyelids drifted shut as he released a deep breath, sending his orange and white subarmor with it. "I, uh, kinda ran into a train on the way here. Literally." He flinched and swatted at the hand attempting to prod a deep cut above his eyebrow. Rowen pouted momentarily, then dug into his back pocket to reveal his blue headband. With this now in hand, he placed a fistful of snow into it and began to rub the material rapidly between his gloves.

"What are you doing?" Cye asked in confused interest.

"Well," Rowan began, his tongue unconsciously poking out between his teeth as he concentrated, "if I can melt the ice, we'll have something to clean Kento here up with. As I'm sure he doesn't want to walk in _there_ looking like he does now." He jerked his head in the direction of the hospital. He'd chosen to leave out the part of how much easier it would have been to melt the ice had one of them been the bearer of the Wildfire armor.

"Oh, well that's easily enough done," Cye interrupted. "Why didn't you say so?" He took the snow-filled bandana and held it between his palms, occasionally squinting in that general direction and twisting one hand or the other. In seconds the ice had melted and dampened the gloves that stood between it and the boy's cool skin.

"How—?" Rowen started to ask, but chose to stop. Cye was the bearer of Torrent, thus allowing him control of water.

And snow, as every Einstein should wisely know, _was_ water.

The auburn haired boy had simply been able to take the powers he'd inherited from his armor and put them to a slightly different use.

While Cye went about cleaning off the dry, darkened blood, Rowen probed Kento's injured hand. A few grunts (on both boys' parts) and kicks (on Kento's part) later, the blue-haired boy decided that it was sprained only. A bad sprain on the verge of being broken, but a sprain nonetheless. Rowen thought miserably of how great it would be to have Sage and his healing powers here with them now. Or even the great healing powers of the five armors together.

_Like that'll ever happen again._ Rowen swatted angrily at an unexpected tear that traced its way down his cold-blushed check.

"Ro?"

"Fine, I'm fine. Let's go see about Sage."

"Sure, sure," Cye consoled, not affected in the least by Rowen's abrupt brush off. The two teens helped Kento to his feet and made their way back to the floor specifically designated for cold victims.

* * *

"And then it just, _stalled,_ right on the tracks! I didn't know what to think. It was then that I noticed a dark green light in the fog and the train came barreling towards me. It was..._odd._" 

Kento paused momentarily in his retelling to gather his thoughts. His blue eyes wandered briefly along the room before returning to meet his companions' gazes. "A red light appeared and looked to be trying to contain the green one. The train even slowed down. I became mesmerized and couldn't take my eyes off the sight...I felt so weak because of it. But then the two lights slammed into the SUV and the train started moving again. I tried opening the doors, but something was keeping them locked tight! So I started punching at the passenger window, only, nothing happened. I didn't want to use the armor," he murmured quietly. All three boys had felt the same way about it since their leader's death. "Suddenly, the green light was all around the outside of the car. But...I noticed that the red light was _inside,_ with _me. _Something, some_how_, bodily lifted me and literally threw me out of the car. I can't even remember if it was through the window or door. When I landed, I finally did call my subarmor and ran from the site. I imagine it was already broken when I called the armor. Guess it healed it some." Here he paused again and looked with mixed emotions at his right hand, the one he'd injured while hitting the window and during his tumble from the vehicle only seconds before the train hit. The fog must have hidden him from the conductors. It was a good thing, too. Otherwise there may have been some explaining to do concerning his subarmor.

Two, slightly smaller hands came to rest lightly on his, subsequently drawing him from his dark thoughts. Kento looked up to find Rowen and Cye staring at him, two small smiles of comfort and compassion on their faces that caused a like image to appear on his own facade.

"That's one heck of a guardian angel we have," Rowen whispered to them.

Kento winked at Cye. They all clearly remembered the previous doubt he had held concerning the origin and intentions of the lights. The bearer of Hardrock had learned his lesson. O_bviously._

"You mean _ghost,_ Bro. Guardian _ghost_!" was his teasing response.

"Excuse me."

Three pairs of questioning eyes focused on the nurse that came to stand before them.

"You were the ones whom arrived with Mr. Date, correct?"

"Ah, yes!" Rowen answered with a hint of nervous hesitancy as he rose to his feet. His fears were quickly smoothed away when the middle-aged woman leveled a reassuring smile at him. "Mr. Date has been stabilized and you may visit with him—briefly, mind you—if you'd like."

"We'd like that _very_ much," Cye gushed to her as he hurried past. Rowen was already halfway down the hall. Snatching a peek at the clipboard in the nurse's hands, Kento yelled ahead with the room number. The three boys quickly disappeared from view.

* * *

"You go first, Rowen." 

"Yeah, ah, okay."

Willing his trembling hand to be still, Rowen latched onto the doorknob and turned it. The door swung easily on its well-kept hinges. Inside the sparsely furnished room, the trio found their missing companion, his shock of golden hair the only color to be found in the stark white chamber. Rowen froze instantly in fear. What if Sage really _wasn't_ stable? What if they had found him too late? What if—

A push from Cye led him forward towards the bed. The warrior of trust kept a reassuring hand on the younger boy's arm for support. "It's okay, Rowen," he soothed. "See there? The heart monitor is beeping away to its merry content. Sage will be all right."

Swallowing hard, Rowen nodded sharply once and collapsed into a chair beside the bed. He took one of Sage's cold hands in his own clammy one.

"He's very pale."

Rowen barely even noticed as he made the quiet observation. On the other side of the bed, Kento was inspecting the large pile of blankets that had been stacked onto their companion's still form.

Slowly, the three teens met each others' gazes. None of them seemed able to speak, which was, perhaps, for the best, as they could not think of anything to say anyhow.

* * *

Kento, Cye, and Rowen stayed in the room until Sage's family arrived, after which they attempted as hasty a retreat as possible. None of the three boys felt like being interrogated. They barely held answers for themselves, much less someone else. Sliding into the front seat of Cye's truck together, they made the journey home in silence, steadfastly avoiding any and all railroad tracks. Once back at home, the oldest of the warriors prepared a very late lunch for his companions and himself. The three could not find anything to say to each other and chose to avoid making eye contact lest they make the situation anymore uncomfortable. 

_You'd think someone had died_, Cye thought to himself. The careless thought caused him to quickly wince. Someone _had_ died as a matter-of-fact, and someone else had very nearly done so just recently.

Sitting beside him at the table, Kento didn't notice his best friend's behavior. Rather, he was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to do much more than lightly pick at his food. An attempt had been made at all of their lives by now. Thankfully, nothing more serious had occurred than a few injuries and a trip to the hospital. _Sounds like old times_, he thought sarcastically. And while they had yet to discover absolute proof, it appeared that it was the dark green spirit light that was out to get them—whoever it might belong to—and not the soft red light of Ryo's spirit.

_Or aura, or whatever you want to call it.

* * *

_

White Blaze knew something bad had happened. He'd seen the vehicle that screamed come roaring to the house. Within moments of arriving, it departed, taking with it the warrior of light. Confusion had flitted across the tiger's noble features and he lifted his nose to the wind briefly. The large cat knew what death smelt like. Sage did not smell like death. So why did Cye and Rowen leave so abruptly? Didn't they realize there was nothing they could do for the downed warrior while he was in the company of the men in white? Didn't they know their brother-in-arms wasn't dead and wasn't _going_ to die?

Obviously not...

Humans could be so dense at times.

White Blaze was preparing to head back to the house when the same scent of rotting flesh from earlier assaulted his senses once more. Determined to discover its origins this time around, he bounded off into the woods in pursuit, ignoring even Kento when the boy came calling for him.

* * *

The woods were strangely quiet by the time White Blaze finally heard Kento give up on him. The Siberian tiger did not hear the chatter of other wildlife that usual greeted him. There had been so many animals out earlier that morning. Where had they all gone? Or perhaps they were still around. Perhaps they just didn't want their presences to be known, for one reason or another. Whatever the reason, it left him feeling curious and slightly apprehensive. Slowing his steps, he lifted one large paw to place ahead of him and stopped completely. Something that felt oddly like a body was pressing against him. 

_Step back, Blaze._

The tiger did as he was told.

Unexpectedly, a small branch fell from one of the surrounding trees. It landed in the place White Blaze had been preparing to step into. The wood promptly unleashed a jaw of sparkling silver, a trap large enough to easily bring down and hold a creature of his size. The tiger felt his hair rise and bristle. He looked about him threatening. White teeth appeared in warning, but there was no one to be found, no one to pin the blame on. Still angry, White Blaze turned to leave when a familiar voice touched his large ears.

_It seems that even if I can't arrive soon enough to help the guys, I can at least help you, Boy. Be careful, okay?_

Pausing, White Blaze looked over his shoulder. A cat 'grin' appeared on his face, wiggling his whiskers slightly. A look of true excitement overcame his black and white face.

* * *

The ringing of the telephone brought the three boys out of the stupor they had fallen into. Rowen answered it on the second ring. He nodded a few times to the "Yes, yes, of course's" that slipped from his tongue, before just as swiftly replacing the phone on its holder. 

"That was Yayoi," he told the two other boys. "Sage's family has asked that we return to the hospital as soon as we can. Yayoi said," he swallowed, finding his mouth suddenly very dry and his tongue hard to maneuver. "Yayoi said that Sage has been calling for us. _All_ of us." It took only the look on Rowen's face to explain to the others what was meant by that statement.

But...why would Sage be calling for Ryo instead of simply the other three remaining boys? Rowen did not like the implications that were set off in his head because of that one thought and in his growing anxiety, he grew extremely foul of mood and began to bark orders at the others. Cye complied easily enough: his improving attitude and shared empathy of nearly losing his own best friend persuaded him not to raise an argument.

Kento, however, was an entirely different story. Not only was he sporting a fierce headache from his run-in with near death, but his entire body also ached quite terribly. His nerves were quickly growing frazzled from the occurrences of the past couple of days, and his patience was growing thin from the numerous stresses they were all feeling. Rowen attempting to boss him around now when he could easily think for himself finally turned out to be the last straw. With a slight grunt, he pushed away from the table and straightened rather awkwardly from his seat. One calloused hand angrily slapped the table when he spoke, not really thinking about the six words that rolled all too eagerly off his tongue.

"Who died and made you leader!"

A sharp intake of air from Cye preceded the voice of someone new.

"I guess that would be me, Kento. Hi guys..."

* * *

**Wow....can you believe it? I've actually posted a new chapter! A new, _new _chapter! And it only took how long? Three years? LOL Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it. Sorry if it was a bit short, but the next chapter will be longer. The next chapter is also the last chapter, so even though I know it's been a short ride, I hope it was a good one. Let me know what you think about it. I'd like to know I did a pretty good job after waiting three years to actually do it!**

**--Marie K.**

**Completed 7/27/2004**


	6. Understanding the Satisfied Heart

**Summary – It's been just two and a half months since Ryo Sanada's untimely death, and as the other Ronins are trying to return to normal lives, they are interrupted by two unearthly beings who are not yet ready to be forgotten and set aside.**

**Disclaimer I do not own Ronin Warriors and their related universe. I am simply borrowing them from Sunrise Inc. to fulfill my desire to write. Chances are, any names that you _don't_ recognize belong to me.

* * *

**

**Unfinished Business**

Chapter 6: Understanding the Satisfied Heart

By: Marie Kenobi

* * *

"One more surprise of a lifetime this week and I swear, _I swear_ I'll suffer a nervous breakdown. A stroke even! By all that's holy—" Cye was mumbling freely behind his hands now. Kento sat across from him, a myriad of emotions and expressions playing across his nearly ashen features. Rowen stood near the oldest of the Ronins with a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Cye, don't swear," he pleaded quietly. "It's not like you."

"I never meant to startle you, Man. I just thought—"

The sound of the voice started Cye's fretting up all over again. Rowen suppressed the urge to sigh in irritation. He raised his eyes to once more drink in every detail of the newcomer. The black hair, tiger blue eyes, chiseled features...it was almost too much to take standing up.

"Rowen."

"I'm sorry. I know I was staring again. But it's...it's a shock to say the least. We practically knew it was you from the beginning, but...seeing you: _Here!_ With us again! Nothing's been right since you left us...Ryo."

The name found itself being repeated silently on Kento's lips.

Ryo looked down at the white tiger lying near his feet and smiled gently. "I know, Rowen. I'm sorry, you guys," he whispered upon raising his eyes again. His attitude swiftly changed tones as a thought occurred to him. "But if I'm not mistaken, Sage's family called you back to the hospital?"

"Yes." Kento spoke up for the first time since their leader had abruptly appeared in the kitchen with them. He rose to his feet, moving much slower and calmer than he had the last time he'd left the smoothly varnished seat. He addressed his two living comrades in arms. "We should be going. Sage needs us."

* * *

The hospital was quiet by the point of night that the three boys arrived back there. Using a stealth talent that had been hard learned from their time of fighting against Talpa, they managed to make it to Sage's room undetected. The blonde's family had long since left with the notion that his friends would not be able to make it back into town again before visitors' hours had ended.

_They_ did not know the 'other side' of Rowen, Kento, and Cye, however. The side that had learned the hard way that sometimes all caution had to be thrown to the wind: rules, fears, and consequences be damned.

Kento paid extra attention to shutting the door and doing so quietly. The last thing he wanted to do was alert a doctor or nurse of their presence. Taking hold of a chair, he tucked it under the doorknob before returning to his friends' sides.

Cye had finally decided that trying to rationalize the situation wasn't worth the headache it was giving him. Now all he was trying to do was keep from staring at Ryo like he was some sort of freak show.

Trying, but failing miserably.

His former leader hoped to soften the shock of his reappearance by smiling in an encouraging, friendly manner whenever the two locked gazes. But for Cye, the smile only served to heighten his distress and set him to trembling from fear and sadness all over again. Ryo recognized the older boy's behavior for what it was and inwardly cringed. He needed to explain a small fact of his curse as a ghost and do so quickly before his friend was forever fearful of him.

"Cye."

The boy in question jerked, making only the smallest amount of eye contact that was required.

"Cye, how do you see me?"

"Wh-what?" he asked, completely caught off guard by the strange question.

"How do I look to you?" The former bearer of Wildfire rephrased his question.

Cye's apprehensive eyes grew wider if it was at all possible. Kento drifted to attention nearby; Rowen looked up from his place beside Sage.

"I-I don't, ah, well, see I'm not sure—"

"Fine," Ryo interrupted when he saw that they weren't getting anywhere and probably wouldn't anytime soon unless something else was done. "Rowen, tell me, when you remember me in your thoughts, what do you think of?"

Blue eyebrows turned together at the odd question. "I think of you playing soccer and of our first meeting."

"And you, Kento? What do you think of?"

"The way you were after you saved us from Talpa at the end of the first war. And how quickly my little sister took to you," he added with a chuckle and a grin.

Ryo smiled softly at the memory before he once more shifted his attention to the bearer of Torrent, an expression of expectance on his face.

Cye swallowed hard one time. "I-I think of you and the day we lost you: how sad and Hellish a day that was."

"And therefore, it's how I look to you." A look of deep intent slid onto Ryo's face as he sorted out the right words to explain to his friends what was going on between he and Cye. "You see me bloody and beaten because that's the only thing you'll allow yourself to think of. Rowen and Kento, however—they choose to remember me from better times and thus that is how I appear to them. It's part of the fun of being a ghost, _a spirit_," he said sarcastically. "You appear to those who knew you in whatever manner they choose to remember you by. I know it's a lot to ask of you right now, Cye, but if you could try to remember me from better times, I won't come across as being quite so..._grotesque_." Ryo split a brilliant grin, but it was one that the other teen still saw as being tarnished by blood.

"I'll try," was the soft-spoken, weak response.

Knowing it was all he could hope for at the moment, Ryo chose to be satisfied with the answer and came to the conclusion that it was time they all got down to business.

"Now that that's been settled, we need to finish our earlier conversation that we never really got started on, guys. The other light you saw, the one that tried to dump Rowen and Cye off my balcony, the one that tried to drown Sage, and the one that nearly ran over Kento, belongs to my murderer: Hideyo."

Dawning looks of realization and understanding lit the three living warriors' faces. Of course there had been some form of underlying suspiscion in the backs of their minds, but it wasn't something they had given much consideration to.

"But why is he here?" Rowen spoke up, speaking the question that lay on everyone's mind.

Kento nodded and added, "No offense to you, Buddy, but why are _you_ here?"

Ryo laughed, his figure shimmering lightly as he did so. "No offense taken, Kento.

"My reason for being here is the exact opposite of Hideyo's. He has remained here on this earth in spirit form because he does not feel or think that he fulfilled his destiny in life."

"So he's come back to do it in death?" Kento murmured quietly to no one particular.

The raven-haired teen passed him a brief, confirmatory glance. "Hideyo's destiny—or rather what he believed it to be—was to destroy any remaining member of the Sanada Clan. And while he did that," Ryo added somewhat ruefully, "it grew to the point that that wouldn't be enough to satiate his newly awoken blood-lust. Those who stood against him—those who stood for _me_—they would become his victims as well. Not only is he here, but I believe the other Hazukis as well." He watched his friends stiffen at this and quickly added, "But I think they're here to do good and set things right. I think they're here to take Hideyo to their ancestors for judgment of all that they have done. And myself? I'm here to ensure Hideyo does not successfully complete his unfinished business."

Standing unexpectedly from his seat, Cye shuffled stiffly over to Ryo. He attempted to touch the other boy's cheek, but his hand simply slid through. Ryo 'wrapped' his translucent hand around Cye's, and while its feel was not tangible, the older of the two could certainly feel the presence of it. "I see you as you were the day we defeated Sekhmet, when you woke me from the resting place of my armor," he said with an experimental smile. "Ryo, your unfinished business is the continued desire to see us safe and protected. Finally, you have earned the potential chance for everlasting peace, but you do not take it for our sakes. It shouldn't be like this Ryo. For all means and purposes, you should still be here with us—_alive_—but if that cannot be had, then I would see you take your final rest. We all would," he finished, gesturing around the room. "Let us go..."

But Ryo was already shaking his head. "I failed you guys the day I let myself get captured. If I must remain in this form, protecting the four of you until your own time comes to leave this world, then so be it. It's my fault Hideyo is still—"

"There you go again, Ryo."

"Sage! You're awake!"

"Yes, Ro." The blonde laughed softly. "And I have been for quite some time. I swear, Sanada, some things never change, do they? Even in death you still play the guilt-taker."

"Well old habits do _die_ hard," Kento supplied, a mischievious grin on his face.

"It wouldn't be natural if he remained _silent as the grave_, now would it?" Rowen added, having caught on to the teasing pun.

"Yeah, you always were one to talk us _to death_ when you went on a guilt spree." Cye sniggered behind his hand.

Ryo felt himself relax as the room slowly became comfortable again. "Come on guys, you're _killing_ me here!"

Their brief moment of mirth, however, was broken as the doorknob began to rattle. "Who's in here? Hello? Is someone there? Mr. Date, are you all right?" a female voice asked. It sounded like the nurse who had allowed them in to see Sage earlier.

The five boys cringed and looked to each other, knowing their cover had been blown.

"Uh oh!"

* * *

It felt good being home after he'd been stuck in a hospital bed for over a week. The doctors had wanted to keep him longer, especially when they had realized his mother was the acclaimed Dr. Date, but more serious cold cases accompanied by his _unexplainably_ fast recovery time had convinced the doctors to let him go.

_Maybe the armor _is_ still good for some things_, Sage thought with a smirk. Or the Halo armor was, at least. After all, that's what had already partially healed his broken nose, fully healed his sprained wrist and cuts and bruises, and completely dispelled his bout with pneumonia. The doctors saw it as a superb healing ability. Sage saw it as the least their armor could do for them after all the other torture it had placed them through.

Ryo had routinely drifted amongst the four of them, sometimes in his 'ghost' form, other times in his 'spirit orb' light. The other Ronins had actually been much more receptive of their dead leader than even Ryo would have first guessed. In fact, his presence had become a vital part of their average day again and his visit with them was much looked forward to. Thus, it was with a heavy heart that he sought his friends out the day of Sage's return. He found them in the den, discussing various topics and laughing at past adventures. With the return of their leader, a feeling of safety had fallen like a protective veil over the warriors. It truly felt like old times again.

What a shame that he would have to break that feeling with his bad news.

"Hi guys."

The four boys didn't even startle this time when the black-headed boy suddenly materialized in the center of the room. Various forms of greetings were extended, followed by chortles of laughter.

"What?" Ryo asked, amused by his friends. They seemed to have completely forgotten about Hideyo and the attempts on their lives. The spirit figured it was just a cover-up developed from their time in the war. Sometimes one just had to put the bad aside and let the good in for a while.

"Nothing, nothing," Cye laughed, breaking through his thoughts.

"Oh, sure, Cye. Wave it off." Sage smiled. Sparkles of color filled his cheeks from where he had been laughing. It was a great improvement from the way his friends had first found him just a week ago.

Rowen nudged his best friend gently, mindful that he was still a bit weak. "Of course he'd wave it off. Who wants to relive _that_?"

"'Relive' _what_?" Laughing now himself as their humor rubbed off on him, Ryo tried to pry the story out of his companions.

"Oh, nothing," Kento teased. "Just the day Cye ended up with a bowl full of sticky rice and grape juice all over him at school."

"Oh, _that_!" the former bearer of Wildfire exclaimed as Cye blushed again. He chuckled briefly before sobering, remembering that he was here for more than just a trip down memory lane. "Look fellas, there's something I need to tell you."

Four heads snapped to attention at the seriousness they heard in the speaker's tone.

"Ryo?" one voice questioned softly.

The spirit shimmered faintly like a curtain blowing in the wind. "I've spoken to the other Hazukis," he informed them. "They have a way to take Hideyo off your hands. By doing so they'll complete their unfinished business—preventing him from doing more harm—and they've figured out that with the pull of all of their spirits to their final destination, he'll be forced to follow, being linked to them in life and all."

"So we'll all be home free!" Kento whooped in delight.

Sage was the only one to share the frown that had quietly slipped onto Ryo's face. Slowly, seeing the looks on his two best friends' faces, Rowen caught on. "Oh," he murmured slowly. "_Oh_...Oh no."

Kento and Cye looked to their companions with confused expressions. They didn't remember what Sage had said about ghosts, what he had told tem of unfinished business. Ryo finally decided to clarify it for them.

"A person exists as a ghost only when he or she possess unfinished business of some sort here on Earth. My business was to protect the four of you from Hideyo's twisted intents..."

"So when he goes, _you_ go," Cye finished, a look of shocked horror across his fair features.

"Yes."

Silence descended upon the five like a heavy shroud of darkness. The Ronins were whole again, if it was fair to truly consider it thus. To lose their fifth member a second time...Rowen rubbed his eyes wearily. It was his voice that finally split the awkward stillness.

"When?" His voice came out sounding much huskier than he would have liked.

"Soon. Today, tonight if possible. But," here he hesitated. "There always runs the chance that something could go terribly wrong, as much for the dead as for the living. That's why I want the four of you to remain in the house until I return."

"Like Hell we will!" someone shouted.

Kento quickly interrupted, a touch of hurt in his voice. "And if you don't? What if you don't return and during our remaining years on this earth we never learn what became of you?"

The other four boys were surprised at the sensitive outburst from the member of their team whom usually posed so strong.

Ryo felt his brow furrow. "Kento, I don't—"

"You're not going without us, Ryo." This time it was the warrior of trust who had spoken up. From across the room, Rowen was nodding encouragement for the statement. Ryo, however, stood firm in his decision.

"I may be dead and may no longer have physical control of this team, but as a Ronin _and_ as your former leader, I _command_ you not to step foot outside this house until _I_ permit it. At least honor my memory by that much. Besides, what could happen?" he added with a touch of sarcastic humor. "_I'm already dead_."

Slightly unnerved by this grim sense of logic, Rowen decided not to remind the dark-haired boy that just a moment ago he had stated that things could go wrong, for both the living and dead.

Turning to face the warrior deep in thought, Ryo addressed him specifically. "Rowen, you have unconsciously (and perhaps unknowingly) stepped up to the plate to be the new leader of the Ronin Warriors. While I don't know the fate of the Wildfire or Inferno armors (or the Strata armor for that matter since you'll be changing roles soon), I do know that White Blaze has chosen you, which means the Clan of the Ancient looks favorably down upon you. He'll be your charge soon and you his, but for the time being, while I am gone on this last fight, Blaze will guarantee that you _all_ stay here."

A chorus of "But's" and shouts of "Ryo" and "No fair" erupted through the air. Rowen's cry grew to be largest.

"If White Blaze has chosen me now, he'll do as I say!"

Ryo smiled in sarcastic, knowing humor. "Key word, Ro: 'chose'. In case you never noticed, he's a lot bigger than us; he only listens to so much that any of us have to say. But as I said, for the time being, while I am here, Blaze and I are still partners. Therefore, he works with me...That's why the sooner I leave, the better. The two of you need to bond. We never know what's going to happen in the world of the armors."

At his feet, the white tiger looked briefly at Ryo before he cast a half-lidded gaze in Rowen's direction.

"But Ryo!" the bearer of Strata tried again. 'Leader'? He didn't want to be _leader_! He'd seen what Ryo went through when he was alive; it was not something he wanted. Second-in-command, maybe..._but_ _leader_? His pleas fell on deaf ears, however, as Ryo quickly vanished from the room without bothering to respond to the desperate cry.

Kento and Cye both bolted from their seats, with the former making a mad dash for the door. They were both determined to get out. Kento was stopped in his tracks, however, by a fussy, growling tiger. Scowling, Kento waved to the others. "Split up," he said. "The dumb tiger can't block all of us at the same time. We need to help Ryo!"

Rowen and Cye made a beeline for various exits as well until Sage's calm voice split the mad fog of chaos that had settled on them. Still sitting quietly upon the couch, he asked them somberly, "And then what? When you get out and when you find them—_if_ you find them—then what? You'll fight a ghost? In case all of you have forgotten, that's what I did and _I lost_. Rowen, be the leader Ryo expects you to be. Command your warriors, Rowen; command _your_ _team_."

_Command them to do what? _the warrior of wisdom wondered in lost confusion. He could honor Ryo's wish and stay here...He could take Sage's advice to heart and do the reasonable...Or he could be rash and side with Kento and Cye. Either way, he'd make someone proud, and someone not so happy.

_Welcome to Leader 101,_ a familiar voice said sarcastically inside his head, causing him to jump lightly where he stood upon the carpet in the den. _I'm sorry to have dumped the responsibility on you, Ro—the gods know I myself had a hard enough time accepting it in the beginning—but you were always my second-in-command. You have a good head on your shoulders. This will be a breeze for you. I know you can do it; you just have to believe in yourself and the others. I know you'll serve the Ronins well._

_Ryo..._

That was it, Rowen decided. He had his mind made up.

At least for the time being.

"We're staying," he announced to the others with firm resolution. "Like it or not."

"But Ro—" Kento tried.

"Forget it," was the response that cut him off.

Kento plopped back into his chair with a scowl. A soft sigh escaped the oldest of the Ronins as he made his way to the kitchen to find something to take his mind off the matter at hand. White Blaze watched briefly with intent alertness before he ambled over to Rowen's feet and lay down. The blue haired boy collapsed fully on the couch, propped lightly up by Sage's shoulder, and took to aimlessly scratching the large tiger's ears, wondering what the future held in store for them. All of them...

* * *

That day at the manor crawled along at a painfully slow pace. All four boys were anxious to have news, although they managed to hide it well enough from one other. They were each consumed in their own deep thoughts that consisted of numerous topics, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't shake the misgivings that preyed at their hearts. Throughout the day, odd things had been taking place: Short and painfully sharp blasts of winds had rocked the house; the electricity had flickered; objects had mysteriously fallen off shelves and ended up in spots that were not their own; bright lights had sporadically appeared and disappeared; and periods of intense cold had permeated the house. These were all supernatural events to be sure, considering everything that had happened and was happening, and it was driving them all crazy. Kento felt he was at the breaking point when another light mysteriously turned itself on upstairs. It turned out to be the final straw. Nearly falling from his chair, he made a mad dash for the door. White Blaze, whom had been dozing at Rowen's side, was not near enough to stop the rampaging teen.

But someone else was.

"Kento."

"Ryo!"

Four pairs of eyes swiveled towards the fireplace. White Blaze stretched and yawned lazily, then shuffled tentatively in that direction. Something was wrong with his boy again; he could sense it. A soft guttural sound escaped the thick neck as Ryo knelt beside his partner and spoke in a hushed manner. "Blaze, boy, it's done. Take care of them for me, especially Rowen."

Two large brown eyes blinked slowly in response. _So that was that, huh?_ The tiger let himself slide through the spirit of his closest companion one final time before he left the room. Cye felt a lump of nervousness rise in his throat at the sight, afraid at what was about to come, but at the same time already knowing.

With eyes closed, Ryo took a moment to gather his inner strength, thoughts, and emotions before standing tall again. "I—" he paused to clear his throat and shake off the weak voice that had emerged from him. His translucent form shimmered badly, catching the other four boys' attentions. "Hideyo and the Hazukis are gone. They—They finished their business. They're now wherever they were supposed to be all along. And I," one glowing hand raked slowly through his mop of black hair. "It's time I got going, too."

There, he'd said it. No beating around the bush: there wasn't time for that. He'd gotten it out; the hard part was done.

Or so he thought—

"Ryo, no!" Rowen rushed toward the form whose light and solidity wavered again. He'd given the whole leader thing a good going over while Ryo was away. Unfortunately, after a few hours thought, it only sounded worse than before. "I can't do this," he whispered for his former leader's ears only.

"_But you can_. Don't be a wuss, Rowen."

Rowen jerked to a stiffer, taller position than he was already in. The bearer of Strata knew a challenge and a jest when he heard one. This was both. And he had never been one to turn down either of the two.

_The guys will take care of you, and you will take care of them, just like we've always done. I'll always be around if you need me. Just say the word. _

These last two sentences were projected via mental link amongst all four living warriors instead of just Rowen. With horror they abruptly saw that Ryo's feet were no longer visible. Sage lurched forward as though to embrace him. He had an idea of what was happening, and somewhere in the back of his mind thought that perhaps he could prevent it from occurring.

"Ryo, you—"

"I'm being called away from this place: _your_ world." He grinned slightly, a touch of humor gracing his bright red lips. "Dad says I'm only making things more depressing by staying so long. See?" he added when an unnoticed tear formed in one of the boy's eyes. "I'm no longer a ghost. My angel wings are calling, guys. And the light..." An odd expression that the four remaining warriors could not quite identify appeared in Ryo's eyes. They watched in apprehension as his body from the torso down disappeared completely from sight. Ryo attempted to smile comfortingly at their concerned faces, but it did not come across as convincingly as he would have hoped. What was left of his ghostly form began to waver harshly.

"Don't hurry your lives." His eyes caught Sage's, remembering the thoughts that had passed through the blonde's head just a week ago. He smiled as he teased the warrior of Halo about something he'd said the day he nearly died. "Live your lives to the fullest...unlike I was able to. The world still has so much to offer you. I've seen glimpses of your futures: death will probably come sooner than you'd like once you've really discovered all that the world has to offer, and we'll be together in due time."

A moment of uncomfortable silence passed amongst the five until Sage finally stepped forward. He placed one hand lightly in the air above Ryo's shimmering shoulder. "Until then," he said softly, having finally come to terms with the depressing situation and unconsciously giving the others the encouragement they needed to do the same. "Remember that we'll never forget you...Ryo...Wildfire..."

"Yeah," Kento added, steeling his face into a calm reserve. "Friends for life, Bro."

Cye and Rowen nodded with determination. "Brothers for eternity."

A sad smile found itself onto Ryo's nearly transparent face. In his heart, he knew they would understand. It would take time, but they would forget the pain of his leaving and eventually get on with their lives as though nothing of the sort had happened.

And he—Well, he would finally know what it was like to have a heart satisfied by _finished_ business. No more fighting, no more pain...

A more strengthened smile found itself forming on his lips. He could clearly remember the day he died and the message he had been unable to get across to them. Now, before it was too late once again, he had to tell them. "Rowen, Sage, Cye, Kento: You guys are still the most important thing in the world to me."

The four remaining warriors lurched forward, barely restraining themselves as the glowing light that was their friend finally disappeared into nothing. They didn't know when they would see each other again, when they would be able to lift all five voices to the sky in companionable laughter again, yet there was a certain feeling of calm and completion that settled on the room's occupants, no doubt a last gift from Ryo Sanada.

From somewhere, a warm breeze ruffled their hair, and with a new understanding, the four boys came to realize that their friend, brother, leader, and fellow warrior-in-arms, had finally achieved peace.

"Until then..." 

**END**

* * *

****

**Well, we've come to the end. It's been a long ride, sometimes enjoyable, sometimes frustrating, but I hope that through it all, everyone has found the story to be to their liking. I want to thank my beta reader, my best friend, Hana Teric for going back over each chapter and letting me know what worked and what didn't. And most importantly, I want to thank my readers and reviewers, especially those that have stuck with me since the very beginning (you rock Firestorm! ). You guys are the best; you keep writers like myself writing. So until next time, I'm signing out.**

**--Marie K.**

**7/28/2004**


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